


Another kind of love

by Besidemyself



Series: Rude/Tifa series that follows a bigger plot [1]
Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children
Genre: Angst, BAMF Elena, BAMF Rude, BAMF Tifa Lockhart, Banter, Blood, Crime, English isn‘t my native language, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff, Friendship, Humor, Internalized Misogyny, Minor Character Death, Misogyny, No lime :(, Not Beta Read, Organized Crime, PTSD, Parental Tifa Lockhart, Pining, Post-Advent Children (Compilation of FFVII), Post-Canon, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Romance, Sexism, Sexual Humor, Sexual Tension, Sexual Themes, Size Difference, Tifa-centric, Torture, UST, Undercover as a Couple, Unresolved Sexual Tension, Violence, cursing, dark themes, no lemon :((, slowburn, talk about sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-01
Updated: 2019-11-27
Packaged: 2021-01-16 00:17:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 27
Words: 60,329
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21261992
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Besidemyself/pseuds/Besidemyself
Summary: "Working out after a long day felt good. Just working off the bodily and emotional frustration and strain of being a guardian, head of a household and struggling business owner. Just having time to herself, staying in shape. Nothing but positive side effects."---Tifa is visiting a gym every night training as a way to release energy when a new patron joins and she has to share 'her' training room. What follows is a complete change from her usual daily routine.—-Changed the title from „Training at the gym“





	1. Daily Routine

**Author's Note:**

> So, one to two months ago I re-discovered Tifa/Rude for myself and after I hunted down the easiest to access fics I figured that I'm now old and confident enough to write a story for them. The idea was "UST while sparring" because obviously! But then there was a plot and the first couple of chapters and a lot of random scenes and then I thought... ah, screw that! I write this monster for myself and when I'm done and I like it I'll post it on Ao3. 
> 
> And here we are. This is 100% self indulgent. 100% tropes I love and scenes I enjoy to read and write and it is full of cliché and I had so much fun. So, hurray! 
> 
> MAYBE someone else likes it too? (I mean I am super excited that while I wrote this there were four new fics in the Tifa/Rude tag so... asdfghjk) 
> 
> It's been YEARS since I last played FF7 but I rewatched the extended Advent Children before I started to write... also I read a lot on the FF Wiki and fanfiction. So, sorry if Characters seem OOC. I have no idea.  
This is non-compliant to Before Crisis, Crisis Core, On the Way to a Smile, any OVA ever, Dirge of Cerberus, the novels or honestly anything beside the original game and AC. 
> 
> Last note: This is completely POV Tifa! (otherwise this would double in length)
> 
> So, let's get started!  
I don't own FFVII that is all to Square. This is a work from and for fans. No money is made with this.  
I'm no native speaker so I'm sorry for any mistake and please feel free to point them out. 
> 
> Enjoy!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (Day 1 - Tuesday)

Working out after a long day felt good. Just working off the bodily and emotional frustration and strain of being a guardian, head of a household and struggling business owner. Just having time to herself, staying in shape. Nothing but positive side effects.

Tifa continued to hit the bag, pounding and throwing kicks into it. Never too strong. Just enough to slowly get tired. She didn‘t want to pay for another bag. Not again. Not a third time. She was too poor for that. Her kicks were strong enough to bring down a monster after all. A bag filled with sand or the ceiling it was fixated at were no match.

She concentrated on throwing her punches and kicks faster and less strong, so she was still able to reach the same amount of exhaustion and burning muscles she was looking for. Reworking the stress of her daily life.

The gym she visited after closing the bar wasn‘t far away from her home and open 24/7 which suited her just fine. It was clean and cheap, which were also huge advantages. There weren‘t many people and she could train and ground herself. No one else was using this training room at this time of the night. Only a handful of other patrons were in the gym this late and they all were more into body building than fighting. She could just hit, hit, kick the bag with no need to worry about hogging the sparring room reserved for martial arts and boxing. Her being alone also meant, there was no need to think about looks or the noises, grunts and the little sighs in between.  
Tifa glanced up to the clock and sighed, giving a few more hits to the sack before finishing with a roundhouse kick, that was a bit too strong.

With horror she heard the loud bang caused by her attack on the leather, watching the bag flying upwards, almost touching the ceiling, hearing the hook creaking slightly. But It held and Tifa stopped the training gear with another punch, then hugged the sack and leaned her head on it, sighing once more, this time in relief. No additional costs today.   
Seconds later the girl normally sitting on the front desk came running, looking for what had happened.   
“TIFA!“  
“Everything is fine, Shelly! Nothing was destroyed,“ Tifa turned to look at the girl who visibly deflated in relief.  
“Thank the Goddess… after that bang I thought the ceiling might come down,“ she looked up again and also glanced at the clock. “You‘re done for the night?“  
“Yeah,“ Tifa gave the sack a last pat, that caused a slight movement again, walked away and started to unwrap her gloves. “Just gonna hit the shower and I‘m out.“  
“All right,“ the girl stepped into the room, followed by a tall, brown-skinned man.   
Tifa, feeling the exhaustion creeping up to her, only glanced briefly at him, catching the polite nod that she returned before she concentrated on her gloves again, walking out while Shelly explained the rooms layout to the new client.

The shower was always the highlight of the night, helping Tifa's body to relax and washing away the dirt and sweat of a long day. It also helped her to reflect on everything that had happened and let her figure out what to do the next day. Also she saved water at home. Finally done she sloppily braided her still wet hair while walking to the exit, stopping briefly at the desk, finding the girl from before sitting there.  
“Got a new member?“  
“Yeah, he‘s also training alone. Also hand to hand combat. Also very strong. Also very cute,“ the girl winked at Tifa who snorted as an answer. She had no time for love and boys and dating and it made no sense to beat herself up over things she couldn’t have.  
Shelly chuckled: “He will probably train before or after you but maybe there are times you two have to share.“  
Tifa shrugged.   
“We‘ll see about that,“ she pulled a sweater over her form. She might be strong but there was no need to bring unwanted attention to herself while outside at night. There had been a rise of attacks and abductions of civilians in the sector. Almost every day new missing posters could be found on lampposts and message boards. She tried not to worry too much, hoping that it would soon be taken care of. The police force was still finding their way in the new world order. Another reason to wear the hoodie was the fact that it was still cold at night. She wondered if she had lost her resistance against chilly weather. “For your information, I‘ll be here later tomorrow. The bar is open longer,“ Tifa informed the girl at the counter. Couldn‘t hurt.  
“Ah, Wednesdays. I‘ll come by before my shift starts. See you then.“  
“Good night!“

When she finally got home it was half past two in the morning. Tifa sneaked into the “girls room“ that she shared with Marlene. Denzel was now at an age in which he needed his own space and so Tifa had moved from her room. Cloud was staying in his own room on the ground floor, when he was home and not on tour.   
With a sigh, Tifa laid down and closed her eyes, her mind almost calm and her body completely exhausted. In Four hours she would wake up again and the daily routine would restart:  
Getting up, taking care of the kids, providing breakfast, work, nap, work, kids, food, kids, Bar, closing the Bar, going to the gym, hitting the bag, shower, back home, sleep,...  
Where had the time disappeared when her life had been wild and unpredictable?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> While writing this I became aware that there is another Rude/Tifa fic ("Love is never silent" - can be found on Ao3) in which a Shelly appears... I had read it before I started but forgotten about it again. The other Shelly is only there for one chapter but when I reread that I started to laugh. A lot. Anyway I decided to keep this Shelly because I was almost finished and... yeah... she is just a Shelly. I don't know. 
> 
> I know I keep it vague but I imagine Tifa being 25, Marlene being 8-9, Denzel 12-13
> 
> Last note for now, I'm going to post a chapter every day because except for three chapters near the end I'm done. And until I reach them, I'll have finished them too. The chapters will be long. The shortest is 844 words and the longest 4228, with a total of over 60k words for the whole fic.
> 
> 04.May2020:   
I'm going through all chapters, correcting a few mistakes, changing a few words and hopefully cleared a few things up :) See ya at the last chapter again.


	2. Realization

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 22 - Monday to Tuesday

“Hey, Shelly.“  
Tifa showed her gym ID for Shelly to scan.  
“Tifa! F. Y. I.: our other martial artist came half an hour ago so he will stay for at least another half hour. But you can still get in and start if you want. Maybe with skipping?“

Of course. A shitty day had become a shitty night and continued to be shitty.

Not that she minded the other fighter. He left the room clean and seemed to be decent enough that Shelly gushed over him from time to time. They barely saw each other. In the last few weeks she had only caught glimpses of him whenever she finished her training and he came in or the other way round. Never exchanging more than a courteous nod. Some nights they didn't even meet at all. He probably had a job or life that provided an irregular schedule too. 

Tifa sighed.   
“All right,“ she wanted to punch but skipping would also wear her out. Hopefully.  
“Bad day huh?“   
“Don‘t get me started.“  
“Then I won‘t. I‘ll still be here in an hour if you want to talk then.“ Shelly gave her a broad smile, while Tifa laughed as an answer and vanished in the locker room to change.  
She wasn‘t sure if she could count the girl behind the counter as a friend. Well more of a female friend than anyone else in her near proximity. Even if their interactions only persisted of Shelly coming to the bar for drinks and Tifa coming to the gym for training and the minute-talks they had in between.

The day hadn‘t been her worst by far but Tifa was still stressed. Cloud was out for a delivery, Marlene and Denzel had both been in a fight at school, Denzel defended Marlene against some kids and now the boy was suspended for two days. The situation had caused Marlene to have a bad case of ‚I miss my Dad‘ and Denzel had one in the same manner with ‚I miss Cloud‘. The situation caused Tifa to miss both men too because she had to take care of the kids while the bar was waiting to be opened.   
When both had finally fallen asleep, after lots of cuddling and Denzel sleeping in his old bed, so “Marlene wouldn‘t be alone in the room”, Tifa opened 7th Heaven two hours late.  
She had hoped it wouldn’t be so bad since it was a weekday but of course people streamed in immediately and they were miffed and angry. Some were already drunk.   
It hadn‘t taken long and a fight had broken out. Together with a table and two chairs. Tifa then defused the fight, swift and effective and without any broken bones, which was something to be proud of, she thought to herself.   
The rest of the evening went without any further incidents but the tips were bad too. Fucking great. No wonder she was annoyed, borderline pissed.   
And now she couldn‘t just punch the boxing sack. So fucking great. She huffed while pulling her long dark hair into a simple ponytail.

Minutes later she walked into the sparring room, already hearing fists pounding leather filled with sand. They stilled when she entered and she gave a nod of courtesy in the general direction, not really looking up to see if he returned it. She was done with human interaction for the day.

Fighting gloves on her hands she grabbed one of the ropes, did some light stretching and warm up and started to skip. Once more she was glad for her sports bra. It really was a wonderful piece of cloth. When she had found the model she had bought a dozen. After that she only had one small meal per day for a month, still taking care that the rest of her family was well fed. It was worth every hunger-pained day. 

Even with this great bra, skipping wasn’t her favorite sport activity but still, she first aimed for 100, then 150, 200. For the fun of it she did some tricks in between, crossing her arms, double jump, changing the direction. A peak up to the clock showed her that only ten minutes had passed.   
She huffed again, annoyed and looked over to the other person in the room who continued to punch the boxing sack.   
With a frown she watched his form which wasn’t bad. She could admit that. But it didn’t give him the right to keep her from training. Then her frown deepened. There was something eerily familiar about his fighting style and his figure in general. Hasn’t his face also seemed like she had seen it before? Back then she had shrugged it off, figured it had been one of her patrons from the bar. But that would NOT explain why she somehow recognized the fighting.

That moment he stopped, probably wondering why the noises from the skipping couldn’t be heard anymore and turned around and then it hit her.   
She recognized that man, even without his glasses, the goatee and the suit.   
“You!“ 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big fan of good bras. But they are expensive and even more so in a broken world :  
This is the shortest chapter.


	3. Not in control

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 22 - Monday to Tuesday
> 
> (Fight scene! Fight scene! We're gonna have a fight scene!)

Tifa was running, the cold air filling her lungs, burning while she pressed on. Being pissed did not even describe it anymore. As if it wasn’t bad enough that she had to share ‘her’ training gym, but with a Turk!? They made everything bad. Even if ShinRa tried to be better, to invest in alternative energies and doing amends, rebuilding the city, had helped with the Remnants a few years ago. Even if ShinRa was Barret's biggest investor. They could not be trusted!   
Sooner or later ShinRa would destroy whatever they were connected to. That was just the way it was! Facts!   
The Turks did appear rather regularly at her bar, most of the time to ask for Clouds services or drinks but that did not mean she had to like that. Or to interact with them more than necessary. 

Well, she was in no situation to throw him out of the gym, so she would have to avoid him. Which she just did.   
After she recognized him, she had grabbed her hoody, stormed out of the building, shouting to Shelly that she would go for a run and did exactly that. Just a sprint around the hood to calm down, to exhaust herself, to give that Turk, Rude as she remembered, time to leave so she wouldn’t start fighting him.   
Even if it would feel soooo good, she was sure. Punching an evil company employee would be exactly what she needed. Because sometimes life was just unfair.

She slowed her fast pace into a jog, saving some of her energy for the return to the gym. She had a good two thirds of her round behind her, the worst part of the sektor still in front of her. So, of course as soon as she turned into a small alleyway she spotted a group of mean and shady looking men loitering around, under the dim light of a street lamp. Yeah, just her luck.  
She slowed even further, there wasn’t enough room to run, but she still walked fast. She really wasn’t looking for a fight with random men on the street. 

“Hey there, sexy lady,“ one of the men stepped in front of her. He was tall and looked strong, but he would be no match. Tifa tried to pass by him, but two other guys appeared by his sides, blocking her way. “What is a doll like you doing here at this time of the night?“   
Doll? Like she wasn’t sweaty and dirty, with dark circles around her eyes, in a sweatshirt and training shorts that went down to her knees, her messy ponytail even messier than before. Ah shit! She still had her training shoes on. She would need to wash them. She laughed but without humor.   
“Listen. I’m in a bad mood but reasonable. I give you one chance to step back. Otherwise I’ll break at least one bone in every single one of you.“  
“Oh, how cute. She thinks she is tough,“ he actually had the gall to reach out to touch her hair and his stupid friends laughed at that.   
Well, she had warned him. As fast as possible she grabbed his wrist and squeezed until he shouted in pain. With a strong pull she dragged him towards her right fist that landed on his face, her right food then impacted onto his chest, kicking him a few meters away. 

The other guys looked at her in horror.   
“You guys can still run. I won’t judge you,“ she smiled without humor and kept her voice even and threatening.   
“You bitch… you’ll pay for this…,“ the guy she had just kicked away could be heard from somewhere out of the shadows. She had to give him that he was tough to be still conscious after that kick. Maybe it hasn‘t been her strongest? “I warned you…,“ but before she continued the two guys in front of her attacked. With ease she stepped to the side and deflected the one on her right to her left, so he stumbled past her into his friend, followed by a knee to his back, effectively sending them both flying.   
It seemed like only now the rest of the gang woke up. Another one tried to punch Tifa, attacking from behind, which she easily evaded with a drop to her knees bringing her fist to the perfect height to punch the one who had appeared in front of her in the balls, parallel to the fist he received from his friend to the face. A roll to the left, jumping up and drop-kicking the one who had been behind her into a trash heap. With a half spin she faced the next guy and knocked him down with a couple of fast punches into his stomach and a last to his face.   
‚This is too easy,‘ Tifa thought, still a humorless smile on her lips and immediately cursed herself for inviting bad luck. AGAIN! A surge of electricity went through her body, locking her in a painful spasm, pausing her fight.   
The moment the surge ceased, Tifa felt herself kicked in her back, making her fly. With a harsh thump she hit the ground, groaning.   
Materia.  
These assholes had Materia. Low level but still.   
‘Get up you idiot! This is no place to wait for your death,’ she berated herself but before she could get up, she heard a whirring sound and rolled to the side, just in time so the metal pipe didn’t hit her but the ground, creating a loud noise that made her close her eyes for just a second. Not without difficulty she managed to scramble up and return into a defensive stance. A quick glance showed her the situation. There were maybe half a dozen more guys and at least one had Materia, while the rest had taken up pipes and other stuff as weapons.   
Now this was a bad situation. They may not be strong, but many.   
“Okay, boys. This is your final warning. Just let me go and I’m willing to forget any of this happened.“  
“FUCK YOU! You’re going down, bitch.“   
Behind her the leader was up again, propped up by one of his friends. Great!

Tifa huffed, trying her best to come up with a strategy. Materia would be nice right now but it was all at home. She only had very simple gloves, was very tired after a long day and in this small space her speed was limited. Having enemies in the back meant that fleeing was out of the question too. Also they were all taller and heavier than her. She would need extra strength.  
Maybe she should work towards her limit attack? Either way attacking it was.   
  
“No time for that,“ she snarked and started towards the man nearest to her, hitting him with three fast punches and roundhouse kicking the next. No holding back this time. That was when she saw the Materia glowing up again, but there were three more men between her and him and no way she would reach him before he finished the spell. Especially because she had to dodge the attacks of another two, while the guys behind her picked themselves up again. How could they be so tough!? Or had she grown so weak? 

Wondering about that she nearly missed seeing the Materia-user being punched so hard that he flew into the wall, effectively knocking him out. ‘All right?’ she questioned in her mind, almost missing the attack against her. She blocked a crowbar with her arm, which hurt like bitch, but she swallowed the pain and used the opponent's opening to kick him as hard as she could, sending the bulky man flying too. Not even a second later she saw a tall shadow taking care of another of her attackers. And without much effort. One hit of the figure was enough to knock the enemies down. But there was no time to marvel at her anonymous helper. Another man stormed towards her and she ducked, grabbed him and threw him over her shoulder to the ground, turning around to punch him in the face.   
She turned again, saw another of her enemies being sent flying. Just another moment of being inattentive, that was enough for the one who had sneaked up behind her, to hit her with a wooden plank on the side of her face, not making her fly but stagger to the side and needing the wall to brace herself. She turned her face to her attacker and at the last moment she yanked her arms to protect her face, wood splintering and ripping her clothes.   
Damn it! She really liked that hoodie.  
After the attack she dropped her arms and prepared to punch her attacker but instead she saw a shoe connect with his face. And Tifa's field of vision was then filled with a new face, that only glanced at her, probably to see if she was more or less fine, eyes hidden behind sunglasses.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a rather mild fight. Others will be worse. Please feel free to point out anything that is confusing.


	4. Back to the gym

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 22 - Monday to Tuesday

“Are you okay?“  
“I‘m good,“ her reassurance was betrayed by a wince. But it was enough for the Turk because he didn't even glance at her anymore and fished out his mobile to call someone. Tifa instead looked at the group of a dozen men, all lying knocked out in different corners of the alleyway.   
“Reno, I need you to pick up some suspicious persons. Twelve males, unconscious. Medical aid is advised. They could be connected to recent attacks in this sector. I‘ll send you the coordinates.“

Just to have something to do Tifa started to clean off the debris from herself.   
She couldn‘t hear what exactly was shouted on the other end of the line but it had to be very loud. Not that the receiver even flinched. Maybe Rude was used to this.  
“Yes, I‘m aware of the time. But apparently I was right with my suspicion of you still being awake.“  
He waited a few more moments, listening and then hung up. Rude turned around to face Tifa again: “Reno will take care of them. I‘m sure there is a med kit in the gym. Let's go.“

He stepped up to her, palm upwards like a peace offering. She ignored it, instead picked up the Materia that had rolled away, wondering what to do with it. Finally she threw it to Rude, who caught it with ease. It did not belong to her. Should the Turks bother with it.   
“Further aid is not necessary, Rude. I am fine.“  
He didn‘t answer and did not react which prompted a stare-off. Kinda. He still had his glasses on. How could he see anything at all? The streets weren‘t exactly brightly lit and this alley even less so.   
He lightly shook his head for whatever reason.   
“We do have the same way,“ he finally answered and started to walk.  
Well, she couldn‘t disagree with that. He was still in his work-out clothes. With a huff she followed him. At least she felt tired. Still frustrated but in a different way now.

They marched in silence and that gave Tifa time to recap the happenings. She might not have made it if help hadn‘t come. She could have died tonight and the guilt started to eat on her. What would have happened to Marlene and Denzel? Barrett's new career would have been affected. Cloud wasn‘t capable of taking care of the kids and the bar and his delivery service. Many other lives would have been affected too. What about the people who used her bar to socialize. Especially older people. What about her friends? They wouldn‘t have a place to stay while in Edge. And she almost disappointed all of them. And the guilt became anger. Why was she so weak? 

A noise somewhere between a growl and a huff escaped her.  
“Are you okay?“  
“I. AM. FINE,“ she snapped. Way to be convincing. She sighed: “I‘m sorry for blowing up…,“ for a moment she hesitated before she hissed, anger still bubbling in her, causing her to become irrational: “But I had the situation under control!“  
“No.“  
“Yes!“  
She sped up, trying to outmarch the Turk. How dared he? Even if she knew that he was right. But really! Her arm and head hurt…   
He had no trouble to keep up which annoyed her further.  
“They had superior numbers and Materia. They had successfully attacked you at least once and were about to succeed again. You were not in control!“  
His voice had actually risen a bit in the end. That surprised Tifa. She waited for anything more but nothing came.   
In the distance she heard cars rushing to a point behind them. Too efficient. Even those who did not seem like it.  
The silence grew heavy on Tifa. She really wished they would finally get to the gym. She wanted to shower and get home.   
“Could they really be connected to the recent attacks?“ Her voice was dripping with fear. She had just thought that she might have attacked innocent citizens. But then they wouldn‘t have fought so hard, would they? Still. What did that say about her?   
“We‘ll see.“

They continued their walk in silence and Tifa realised more and more how much she had actually fucked up today. The whole evening had been one bad decision after the other. Finally the gym came in sight.   
Tifa sighed. She felt downright drained.   
Rude reached the door first, pulling it open and letting Tifa step in first. Before he followed her he took his sunglasses off.

“TIFA! WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED!? WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?“  
“I‘m fine, Shelly,“ Tifa sighed again.  
“Fine!? You are bleeding! Your clothes are dirty and ripped! What is going on?“  
The last question was directed at Rude who had typed on his phone, while the girl behind the counter had nearly panicked.  
“She was attacked.“  
“WHAT??“  
Now he looked up again giving Tifa a once-over, maybe to check if she was really okay but she still tried to process the fact that he was neither wearing his sunglasses nor his suit and that his eyes were… normal? And that he looked… normal? No wonder she hadn‘t recognized him for weeks.  
“Don‘t worry. She will be okay after a shower, maybe a potion and a good night's sleep,“ he had the audacity to smile at Shelly, who started to swoon.   
Tifa was probably dead or having fever dreams or something. This couldn‘t be real.  
The few times she had met him he had never shown anything like… basic emotions.

“I have to go,“ he looked once more at his phone. And with that he nodded and left towards the locker rooms.  
“He is so cute…“  
Tifa slowly turned to look at the woman behind the counter, who halted in her admiration and was suddenly very worried again.  
“Woah, Tifa! Are you really going to be okay? You look like you saw a ghost.“  
“Maybe I did…,“ she shook her head. “I‘ll go shower.“  
“All right but if you‘re not back im fifteen minutes I‘ll look for you. I don‘t want to risk that you faint in the shower or something. Also I‘ll wait for you in the locker room, see if you need some patching up.“  
Tifa nodded and left without another word.

It was 3:00 in the morning when she returned home. She sat down on a stool in the old kids room and stared at the two children, peacefully sleeping. She was such an idiot. They relied on her. They needed her. There was only one adventure in her life now, being a mother and friend.   
When the morning light slowly crept through the window she stood up from the chair to start breakfast for the kids.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, next chapter.  
Anyway I think I'll change the fanfictions title. I'm just not sure to what.  
Also 3 Kudos! Wow! more than I thought. :)


	5. Reno appears

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> day 23 - tuesday evening

The day and evening had been good until now. The kids believed Tifa’s lie about hitting her head on a cupboard, explaining the small cut on her forehead. Denzel had helped her around the house and the bar, using his time at home. Barret had called and promised Marlene that she could soon visit him.   
Both of the kids had fallen asleep rather fast that night. Tifa had even been able to nap a bit. 

And now this.  
“What do you want Reno?“   
She smiled at the redhead who sat at the bar but the smile did not reach her eyes. She really did not want him here and it irritated her that Rude was not with him.   
“Aw, Tif. What kind of greeting is that?“ He actually pouted before he smiled at her. It probably counted as charming but Tifa knew better than to fall for that.   
“An adequate one. What do you want?“   
He huffed and Tifa furrowed her brows. How was he so irritating?   
“A drink, yo.“  
“Well, then you’re in luck. This is a bar. What kind of drink?“  
“Scotch,“ the smile vanished from his face and he skimmed the room. There weren’t many patrons. It was a slow day. Which was fine. Tifa's whole body still ached. Her arm that had deflected the crowbar being the worst part. At least it wasn’t broken but it was blue, green and red which was why she wore a long sleeve and would later use another potion.

She turned back to Reno and put the glass with alcohol in front of him.   
“Enjoy.“  
“Thanks.“   
Another guest called for her and she got back to work. Brought drinks to the thirsty, talked to regulars and joked with new customers, returned with glasses to clean them in a calmer moment. She ignored Reno for some time until his glass was empty again. Then she walked back to him.   
“Another one?“   
“The customer service in this establishment could be better, yo. The barmaid is a real looker, though.“   
Tifa didn’t even roll her eyes.   
“Another one?“ She asked again.  
“Please?“ there was that mocking cute grin again. She turned around to prepare another drink, to place it in front of the Turk.  
“Now, what do you really want?“   
There was no way that it was by chance, that Reno would appear in her bar the night after she beat up those guys in the alley. Not after she realised that the man who trained in her gym was Rude. Not when suddenly her life intertwined with the Turks again. There wasn’t anything by chance with the Turks and ShinRa.   
“Where is Blondie?“  
“Delivery.“   
He grunted as an answer.  
“The twerps?“  
“The children are in bed.“   
“School night, huh? So, you‘re all alone?“ his smile was back, this time downright leering.  
“Reno…,“ her patience grew thin. To underline her words she clenched her fist that lay on the bar counter, knuckles still red.  
“Fine, fine. Is it true, that you took out the goons from yesterday almost alone? I mean I know you’re a monster but seriously. That is impressive.“  
Tifa shook her head, she couldn’t have had heard that correctly: “What? Do you want to recruit me or something? Cut it out.“   
“Good idea, but not today. I mean Rude was impressed - I can tell - and I saw them too. But he was also irritated… said something along the lines of holding back. I didn’t listen. Well, that would be two in your favor, and I think Elena would like you too, I’m sure. But no. I’m not recruiting you. Anyway. I’m here to tell you we’ll keep an eye on your bar because the guys you beat up do actually belong to the Mafia and they might want to take revenge. We’ve been after them for some time now. Just so you know. But it is necessary that you continue your life as normal as possible. Got it?“  
After Reno had finished, Tifa took a step back and held onto the shelf behind her.  
‚Oh shit.‘ She could feel the colour drain from her face and the cold feeling of panic manifest in her stomach.  
“Hey Tif, are you okay?“   
Reno tried to reach over the counter to her, give her comfort or something, but she was too far away. Good design to keep the barkeeper safe.  
Her head snapped up to him: “This is my fault. I endangered them.“  
“Tifa, breath!“ He seemed confused about her distress. Tifa did breath but not because he told her!   
“What if they attack the kids?“ she hissed.  
“Hey, hey! Chill, yo! They will be under surveillance 24/7 if necessary!“  
“Goddess… I‘ll break these assholes necks! If some Mafiosi thinks they can touch the kids, I‘ll destroy them before they can try!“   
For a moment Reno looked like she had snapped but he bounced back very quickly.  
“I believe you but that won‘t do. You can‘t attack them!“  
Tifa glared at Reno. She really hoped for him that he had good reasons.  
“Look I can‘t tell you all the details now. This is highly confidential. The fact alone that I told you so much is borderline endangering the mission. You have to trust us.“  
“I don‘t!“ And she didn‘t think she ever would. She still hated ShinRa and their politics.  
Again Reno stilled for a moment before he relaxed and shrugged and took a sip of his drink.  
“That‘s fair. But we will observe and protect the kids and your bar at all times. ShinRa owes that much to you and Spiky.“  
“Ah…,“ so that was it. But she was sure that there was some additional agenda in this whole debacle. ShinRa being after the Mob had to be part of an evil plan.  
She looked around. Most of her patrons had left the bar, leaving money on the table. Tifa moved, collected the dirty dishes and the payment. The amount wasn‘t enough for the days work. The calculation would come out negative. Again. And she still had to replace the table and chairs that were broken.

Only a lovey-dovey couple in a booth and Reno were left. So she returned to him.   
“Say, how came you and Rude met yesterday anyway?“ He asked as soon as Tifa stood in front of him again. He sounded a little bit too innocent which made Tifa wonder if the redhead did not know about his partners late-night training.  
“I don’t know. He was just there. Ask him yourself if you want to know.“  
Reno rolled his eyes.   
“Seriously, yo? Rude said almost exactly the same thing. You are both no fun. Are you two fucking or not?“  
“WHAT!?“ She must have heard that wrong. No one would blame her if she just broke his nose, right?  
“Huh, I guess not,“ he had observed her face but obviously did not find the reaction he had hoped for. “I really would have bet you two have an affair. After all he isn‘t available for us anymore and suddenly he meets you by accident? Nah. Not likely.“  
Tifa felt a migraine coming and pinched the bridge of her nose: “You can’t be serious! All I can say is that I never intended to meet him.“  
“Yeah, you know even without that it is still weird. What has gotten into you that you just walk around in the middle of the night to start fights with Mafia punks? Wouldn’t you have thought the type.“  
Honestly, she wanted to tell him to mind his own business but it seemed like this was now his business. So she did not answer at all. She just shook her head.   
“Nice, talking to you, yo.“ With another huff Reno finally stood up and put a large sum of gil on the bar counter. “Keep the change.“   
Tifa looked at the amount, her eyes widened.   
“That is too much…“  
“If I don’t give you a good tip, Rude will probably rip me a new one. Not gonna risk that.“   
“What? Why should he?“ Nothing ever made sense with the Turks.  
A broad grin appeared on Renos face before he shrugged: “I don’t know. Ask him yourself if you want to know.“   
Again she clenched her fist and took a deep breath.   
“Anyway, your bar will be under surveillance and I’ll see you tomorrow. Until then! Hey you rookies, let’s go.“   
With a mild surprise Tifa saw the lovey-dovey couple stand up, wave at her and follow Reno outside, leaving the bar empty. Turks.  
The barmaid sighed deeply and visibly deflated. With a tired look she saw that it was only half past eleven. Well, she would close down early today, clean up, get to the gym for a short training and an early night's sleep. 

An hour later she was standing at the counter at the gym again, letting Shelly scan her member card.   
“Are you sure you should train after yesterday?“   
“Hmmm,“ Tifa answered tired. She wasn’t sure but she needed this. “Is he here?“  
“No. The room is all yours,“ with that she gave the card back.   
Tifa nodded and turned around to leave for the locker room before she halted for a moment.   
“Say, what is his name?“   
“Rudolph. Cute name, right?“   
For a moment Tifa stared at the girl, slowly processing what she just heard, then lightly shaking her head. A chuckle escaped her: “Yeah… sure… See you later.“ 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lots of banter and hopefully a fun chapter. I like it.  
I changed the title from "Training at the gym" to "Another kind of love" because honestly Tifa is driven by all kinds of love in this story. It makes sense.


	6. Cloud is back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (Day 24 - Wednesday afternoon)
> 
> ... also appearance Elena

While Marlene and Denzel were doing Homework at a table in the bar, Tifa prepared for the evening. Denzel had argued that he wasn’t supposed to do homework if he was suspended. But Tifa had none of it. Part of why she worked so hard and was still living in Edge was the fact that the kids could get the best education here, after the city had been rebuilt and Geostigma cured. That and she had no other place to go to. 

“Who even needs math?“ Denzel let his head fall on the table. “Cloud doesn’t ever use math.“   
“But only because Tifa is doing his accounting. Otherwise he would never get any profit. You need math to lead a business,“ Marlene glared at the older boy.  
“A hero needs no accounting!“   
“Pff…,“ the girl rolled her eyes and Tifa laughed, while scrubbing a table with an especially stubborn blotch. 

When she heard the door open she did not really look up, just giving her usual “We’re not open yet!“   
“That is fine. I‘m not looking for a drink.“  
“CLOUD!“  
Both kids jumped up and raced towards him. With ease he picked them up.   
“I think you two grew again!“ With a smile he nodded towards Tifa whose smile had also broadened.   
“Hey, Tifa!“  
“I‘m glad you’re back! I have to tell you something,“ she walked up to her old friend, hugging him and the two children, glad that she now had some support again.   
“I figured as much. There is someone outside, waiting to be allowed in.“   
“Huh?“ Tifa cocked her head, opening the door. Outside stood a nervous looking, blond woman that seemed oddly familiar.   
“Hello. I’m looking for a new working experience. I’d like to apply as a barmaid.“  
Finally it clicked.   
“Elena?“ 

Elena gave Tifa her resume in a folder but the first page had a post-it on it noting ‘Bugs & Listeners are a possibility. Someone broke in yesterday!’. Right then and there Tifa had felt the cold dread and rage again but managed to calm down. She had to do a faked interview after all. It was swift and at the same table where the kids had done their homework, after they had been sent upstairs to prepare for dinner.   
“Your qualifications are surpassing anything you need to do in a bar. How come you want to change your career now?“   
“I can’t work for the Turks and ShinRa anymore. They had always been questionable before but finally I felt like I could leave now.“   
“I understand. ShinRa is a bunch of criminals.“   
Tifa almost smiled at the switch and strain in Elena’s face while the Turk searched for a piece of paper in her folder.   
“Exactly. My Coworkers are exhausting and the working hours aren’t… regular. I have saved up some money and I am willing to look around in small jobs to find something I’ll be passionate about.“  
She moved the paper over to Tifa who skimmed it and nodded even with a bad taste in her mouth afterwards. It was a real explanation. Elena was supposed to stay at the bar for security reasons. If the bar was really bugged the story had to be as plausible as possible. It also explained that ShinRa was trying to destroy the Mafia for some time now. They are in suspicion to be responsible for recent attacks, drug dealing, kidnapping, illegal underground fighting, prostitution and many more things. After the chaos of Meteor Fall and the Geostigma, Rufus wanted Edge to be better so the Turks helped the official police with ending organized crime. It also mentioned that the Turks thought that Tifa might be a target for killing or kidnapping.   
Another paper was slipped over to Cloud, giving a brief report at what had happened the other night. His eyes widened, turning to Tifa who nodded and slipped the other paper to him. His brows furrowed in anger.   
Tifa smiled at Elena: “I see. Well I’m glad to help an old acquaintance. And it‘s good that you have experience as a waitress but before I let you lose on the patrons I need you to mix me some drinks.“ 

“One ‚37‘, here we go,“ Elena moved the glass over to Tifa who gladly took it. The Radio played loud and the three adults were whispering to each other at the bar, while Elena prepared some drinks as a ‘test’. She let the bottles clink loudly whenever possible.   
“Thank you,“ Tifa was taking a sip, nodding satisfied. If she had to house a former enemy they could at least do a good job.   
Cloud was shaking his head. Still not sure what to think about the whole situation, nursing a bottle of beer. While Elena had prepared the drink, Tifa had calmly explained the whole situation in a whisper, leaving out the fact that Rude was training at the gym too. At least for the moment. She didn’t feel comfortable to discuss it in front of Elena.   
“I’m glad you like it,“ Elena smiled with a gleam in her eyes. Tifa knew that look. It was a search for approval and she wondered why Elena was searching for it so much?   
“Is there anything I can do? Any way I can protect you? The Kids?“ Cloud whispered.   
Tifa took another sip.   
“Wanna taste?“ and only slightly above a breath she added. “I’ll be fine.“   
With a frown he took a sip from the drink and nodded. His blue eyes traveled to the woman behind the counter, giving her another approving nod: “It‘s good!“ Elena beamed in joy.   
“Anyway, Cloud,“ Tifa added in a normal volume. “The kids will have a school break next week and I thought Marlene should visit Barret. And I also wondered, I think it would be a good idea for you and Denzel to spend some time together. You could go visit Cosmo Canyon or something. I’m sure he would love that.“   
Tifas did her best to transport the message she was actually asking with her eyes. Take the kids away from here. Take them to safety and leave the rest to me. She had thought up this plan last night in the gym.   
With another frown Cloud stared at his beer. It was so obvious what he was thinking. ‚I can’t leave you here on your own when you’re in danger.‘  
“But…“   
“Don’t worry, I won’t be lonely. I have a new barmaid to keep me company, after all,“ with a bright smile she looked at Elena. Who pumped her arm up and shouted “YES!“ like this had been a real Interview. Tifa furrowed her brows but smiled a bit confused.   
“As for your place to sleep… there is a guest room we use as a pantry. I guess we’ll clean it out a bit and you have to move there. We don’t have much else.“  
“That is fine. I had worse,“ Elena blushed a bit after she realised that it sounded devaluating. “I mean… I mean worse as in like the ice cold mud… this is pure luxus compared… I’ll shut up now.“ 

Elena had left to get her stuff, while Tifa and Cloud had went upstairs to eat dinner. Tifa had called Barret to warn him that his daughter would come visit him for her break because Tifa had something to do. He wasn’t exactly thrilled at the short notice but Tifa basically explained him with sharp words that he should please shut the fuck up and enjoy this rare family time and that he had promised that Marlene could come visit him soon anyway. Marlene was very excited already. And after the girl had gotten hold of the phone, there was no way he could back out.  
Tifa decided that she should give Cloud a letter for Barret so he would know what was going on. 

Cloud also told Denzel that they would do a cross-country trip. The boy was ecstatic. His enthusiasm made the Ex-Soldier smile. And before bedtime they started to plan the trip with their old maps. They both were excited about it, it was obvious.Tifa smiled while doing the dishes. 

Just when they had put the kids to bed and before it was time to open the bar, Cloud once more approached Tifa.   
“Are you sure that is a good idea?“   
Tifa sighed, because no, she was not sure. There was nothing to be sure about but the fact that her family was in danger and that she had to protect them. Even if it meant to stay in the focus of the danger.  
“Cloud…“   
“Why don’t you take Denzel and I stay. I’ll keep the bar safe.“   
She shook her head.   
“Listen, this is not your fight. The Mafia wants me because I crossed them somehow. They want me and that is apparently an advantage the Turks want to use. But as long as you three are here, the enemy has a leverage against me. If you want to help me, protect Denzel and yourself. Tell Barret to keep Marlene safe and to enjoy the time. She is growing up so fast. They both are…“   
The blond man nodded but did not look at Tifa. She was glad he tried to understand.   
“They miss their parents every day and they miss you when you’re not here. They adore you, you know. You’re their hero. And it breaks my heart sometimes. There is only so much I can do. I am not their real mother,“ her voice became more urgent. It was important to bring the point across even if Cloud suddenly seemed very embarrassed. But that was good! “But I’ll do everything to keep them safe. You three are my family. Do you understand? If I go now, it is only a matter of time until I return and the Mafia will just attack then. And I’m not alone! The Turks are helping. Elena will be here 24/7. Reno will help in his annoying way, I‘m sure. Somehow. Maybe. I’m not sure what Rude is up to but he’s somehow involved too, I guess. And Tseng probably has a plan. It will be fine!“   
He shook his head: “Don’t tell me you trust them.“  
The answer was a laugh: “Heck, no! But they are my best shot at the moment.“  
She crossed her arms, strengthened her stance. Her whole body communicated that there was no further discussion.   
“Two weeks Cloud. That is all I ask for. Either it’s done then or you’ll be able to help.“  
He also crossed his arms, frowning on his face.   
“I still don’t like the idea.“   
Tifa shrugged and then stepped forward to hug him, humming lightly. Since they had a long talk years ago and she had finally given up that there would be any more than friendship, their relationship had become more relaxed. Showing platonic affection being more common and they enjoyed each other's company more. And Tifa was thankful for it.   
“Don’t worry. It will be fi…“  
“..fine. Yeah, yeah. I get it,“ Cloud huffed and returned the hug.   
Tifa laughed lightly, and turned to walk down to the bar.   
“Hey, did you know that Denzel got two days of suspension? When you’re doing your tour you should talk with him.“  
“He didn’t tell me.“  
“He got it because he helped Marlene. Kids had made fun of her.“  
Cloud stopped on the stairs and Tifa turned.   
“What should I tell him? That it’s wrong to help your friends?“  
“No,“ Tifa laughed again. “But that he should do it in a way that keeps him out of trouble. If possible.“  
“Like he would believe me that I have that point of view.“  
Tifa laughed again.

Back down in the bar, she opened the door and the first to come in was Elena with a bag that was way too small to contain all of her belongings. On the other hand who knew how Turks were working.   
“Boss! I’m ready to work!“   
“That is… good? Bring your bag in the back and go behind the bar. Cloud can show you where you find the supplies.“

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want Tifa and Cloud to be friends and for Cloud to get out of his slump. At least enough to be a functioning friend. 
> 
> Also while I was reading it once more to do a few more corrections I realized that it probably makes no sense that Denzel is already in bed when the bar opens... but I'm not sure so I'll just roll with it.  
It's the same in chapter 2 after all :/a  
Heck I'm not even sure when exactly it opens. Most bars around here open at 19:00 / 7:00 pm


	7. We meet again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (Day 26 - Friday night)

Again the box sack was hit a bit too strong, rising up too much. Tifa huffed. This was no good. She shook her head. When she had started her workouts at the gym, months ago, her intention hadn‘t been to become stronger. Just to have an outlet and to stay in shape but now with the prospect of an attack she felt like she had to do more. Like how she was now taking Materia with her whenever she was on her own.   
Both Reno and Elena had reassured her that an Agent would always be around but she just felt better being able to properly defend herself.

Also she was really glad that both Marlene and Denzel were out of the city.   
While their phone call yesterday Barret had sounded more tired and exhausted so some family vacation, as Tifa had suggested, was probably a good idea for him too and very much needed. Cosmo Canyon. Or Wutai. Or Gold Saucer. Marlene had wanted to see those places anyway and she could meet their old friends along the way. And Barret had finally assured that he looked forward to it too. They would meet up in some places with Denzel and Cloud, while those two were doing their cross-country trip.

Tifa was sure those two would be fine. If anything Cloud was strong and he could always contact one of their friends. Tifa gave them a small budget but the boys wanted to earn money with small jobs. Tifa smiled at the memory about how Cloud and the kids had driven off on his bike. It had been only one day but she already missed them terribly. 

That was probably the reason why she was glad to have Elena as a permanent house guest now. It was weird but it made somehow sense.   
Not that she was anything like the other three. Not at all. Elena was tidy, clean, helpful, calm and polite. At least until she had a sip of too much wine. Then she would start to rant about how unfair it was that she still called Rookie even with all the new agents and that Reno should go fuck himself and that Tseng was an way too attractive idiot.  
Tifa always smiled and nodded along. It was kinda funny to see the proper woman letting go of her frustration in verbal abuse. Also it seemed like Elena didn’t have many people to rant to. 

Reno as well as other undercover Turks had started to frequent the 7th Heaven. Even if the redhead was the only one who was obviously a ShinRa employee. His cover was that he was there to tease his ‚former colleague‘ and to get his daily dose of “go fuck yourself!“ and alcohol. Tifa wondered if it made sense but who was she to judge? 

Even if it was irritating, it was also more lively in the evening. Tifa had registered a rise in young male patrons since Elena had started in the 7th Heaven. Two days ago! And finally Tifa saw a pattern. She figured it had to do with Cloud. Only older men with nothing to lose had felt confident enough to come to the bar and leer at Tifa. Only men who weren’t from Edge had openly flirted with her. When the realisation hit her she had wanted to slap herself.   
It was so easy: Another young barmaid, and one whose look was a complete opposite to Tifa, lured in another kind of customer, making it possible to pay the new barmaid and get a bit extra. And this time Tifa didn‘t even have to pay her help. Elena still got her wage from ShinRa. For the first time in years Tifa could save up money. She was even able to replace the broken furniture. 

She was still careful around the Turks, not willing to trust them.

Tifa punched the box sack once more with a fast combination, ending with a light roundhouse kick. Again, she huffed in frustration. This wouldn‘t do. She remembered the fight from the beginning of the week and how the enemies stood up again after her punches and kicks. She needed more training. She needed more strength or she would fail to defend herself if she was attacked again. Not only did she feel like her hits weren‘t strong enough but her instincts weren‘t as sharp anymore. 

That moment she ironically felt a change in the room's atmosphere and turned around.  
Rude was standing in the door, not entering. Everyone else might have looked uncertain with him it seemed like a polite question if he was allowed to come in and stay. Understandable after her last reaction. After a few heartbeats of silence and staring Tifa came to a conclusion. She stepped towards the tall man.

“We haven’t been introduced officially yet. I’m Tifa,“ hand in glove outstretched to him. For a second he didn’t react, his eyes flitting from her hand to her eyes, as if he tried to figure out what her game was. Like she was playing games!   
He obviously, for some reason, was under another name in the gym, his partners did not know that he was training here. Reno had even hinted that contact was broken off because Rude was on a super secret mission. He didn’t wear his glasses or his suit when he came here. He hadn’t identified himself when he started. Tifa really wanted to know what was going on, what this - if at all - had to do with anything but without asking directly. Maybe the Mafia was monitoring here too. So much she had understood. Almost nowhere was safe.  
“Shelly told me your name was Rudolph,“ she nodded to him, both eyebrows raised, hand still held out. Finally he reacted.  
“Tifa, nice to officially meet you.“  
It was a weird situation because she couldn’t remember him to have ever said her name. At least she hadn‘t heard him say it. They shook hands, both wearing gloves.  
“I haven‘t thanked you for your help the other day,“ she added, keeping a close eye on his face. Not that she could read much there. Even without his sunglasses Rude didn‘t let any emotion show. At least not towards her, Tifa remembered the smile he had given Shelly.  
“We haven’t met again so you obviously couldn‘t,“ his eyes wandered from her face to different spots in the room and then back to her, a slight nod and an eyebrow raised. “It really was no problem. You did almost all by yourself.“

Tifa nodded and turned around to continue her training, carefully glancing to the spots that Rude had pointed towards with his eyes and sure enough if she moved the correct way she could see light reflecting on camera lenses.   
Now she knew for a fact that the room was monitored but she could neither ask Rude or anyone else what this meant. At least not out in the open.  
“You know, I also want to say sorry about how I ran out on you. It was just… you reminded me of someone I had a couple of encounters with. Not always the best encounters either.“  
“I see… happens more often than one would think,“ he had started with basic stretching and warm ups. Tifa almost laughed while thinking ‚Yeah I bet!‘ but had it under control. Also, it wasn‘t like she had recognized him instantly.

Again she huffed, trying to focus back on the box sack giving it a few careful punches. This was no fun. It did tire her out but it was no real training.  
“Do you want me to hold it?“  
Tifa turned to the man behind her, who nodded towards the sack.   
“So you can punch harder? You‘re holding back.“  
“S...Sure,“ Tifa remembered the line Reno had dropped: ‘Impressed but irritated about holding back.‘  
He walked over, holding the sides of the training device, most of him hidden behind it.  
“Try not to hit me.“  
She chuckled and shook her head slightly. Not sure if he could see it. It was ironic because at the beginning of the week she would have loved to punch him. Also she couldn‘t imagine trusting him enough to stand behind the sack while he trained.   
“I‘ll try.“

Ten minutes later Tifa was kneeling beside Rude holding her Ice Materia, wrapped in a handkerchief against his face. Maybe she should start carrying healing Materia too.  
“I am so sorry! Too cold?“  
He shook his head, taking the Materia in his own hand.  
“It‘s good.“  
She wasn‘t sure if he meant the kick to his face or the temperature of the Materia.   
She started to bite her lip. She really needed to find a way to get better again. And it had started so good. She had begun as usual but after an encouraging word her punches had become gradually stronger. She also threw in some kicks. It had been good, she had felt the strain on her muscles and how she slowly tired out more. She could have sworn that she had felt a real smile on her face. And then a kick had caught Rude, throwing him off the boxing sack, that he had secured before.

He seemed to recognize the distress in her eyes.  
“It wasn‘t your fault. I shouldn‘t have been distracted.“  
Tifa wanted to ask what distracted him but she figured that it might be something about the situation as a whole. Which reminded her that there were still a lot of questions she had. And she really wished to ask Rude about it because there are some things that neither Reno nor Elena seemed to know about. She had an idea.   
“I’m still sorry. As an excuse, I'd like to invite you for dinner but I have a house guest and that could be awkward. So, if you know a place where I could treat you to a drink and a snack then please tell.“ 

His eyes focused on hers, again his face showed nothing. It was always pure guessing when she tried to read him and it made her wonder why he was always wearing his sunglasses? Because even without them his eyes gave nothing away. Maybe Reno, Elena and Tseng were better in understanding, having more experience and such.   
Finally he asked: “Do you dance?“   
“Huh?“ 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did mention that I used lots of tropes I love right? Yeah... we're finally getting there.


	8. It's not a date!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (day 27 - Saturday night)

“Say, does Rude ever take off his glasses?“   
Elena seemed confused by that question: “No. Not that I would know of…“  
“Fewer times than he changes his shorts,“ Reno added, sitting down right at the bar, smiling up at both women. “Good evening!“   
“Still more often than you change your briefs!“ Elena snapped irritated about his sudden appearance.   
“Elena says she doesn’t like me, but she obviously knows everything about my underpants,“ Reno explained Tifa, ignoring the blond woman glaring daggers at him.   
“I would have thought you more of a banana hammock kind of guy,“ Tifa answered like it was the most normal thing in the world to talk about. Elena eww’d and then laughed.   
“Hello, I would like to complain about the bad service in this establishment, yo!“   
Tifa shrugged: “Sorry. Our complaints manager is gone for two weeks.“  
Again Elena chuckled, while she prepared a round of beers for one of the tables, occupied by a group of men. Reno looked after her for a second before he turned back to Tifa with narrowed eyes: “That would be Spikey, right?“   
The answer was a shrug and a glass with his usual in front of him.   
“Oh. Now that is good customer service. Why your sudden interest in Rude?“  
Tifa shrugged again: “Recently meeting him and seeing you around every day just made me wonder.“  
“Uh huh…,“ Reno squinted at her like he tried to read her thoughts. “You know, I was really surprised to hear that you and Blondie aren’t an item. Having two kids together and such.“  
“Then why did you think I had an ‘affair’ with Rude?“ She still couldn’t wrap her mind around that. The answer was a shrug and Tifa rolled her eyes a bit.   
“Anyway,“ she sighed. “Everyone seems surprised by that. But Cloud and I aren’t together and even if the circumstances are unusual, they are my family. All three of them. I guess that is why people think that.“  
“Yeah, it really is unusual. But family is family,“ Reno shrugged again and Tifa figured that sometimes he actually had really bright moments that made him almost likeable. “That is why I can’t leave Lena alone. She is part of the family.“   
“Shove it, Reno!“   
“Aw, Rookie. You‘re always so mean.“  
“As I said: shove it. Tifa, five cocktails and six beers and a snack-plate,“ Elena put a piece of paper with the orders on the bar.   
“Got it,“ Tifa started to prepare the cocktails, while Elena brought the beers over and then returned to prepare the snack-plate. 

It was really relaxing to have help. The blond Turk was very precise, correct and effective and she took no shit from customers. It made Tifa feel less guilty about leaving her alone later.  
“Say Elena, do you think you’ll manage to close up alone? I have to meet someone…,“ she tried to let it sound as innocent as possible while draping the cocktails on a tablet. Tifa hadn’t been sure what reaction she had awaited but not none.   
Only after Elena returned from her delivery did she dragged Tifa back to Reno and started to whisper, a bit stressed.   
“Tifa! What is going on!? Are you having a date!? I can’t help you if you’re going on a date!“ Now that was more of a reaction she had awaited.   
“It’s not a date,“ Tifa shook her head.   
“Elena, chill yo!“ Reno looked downright bored, which was also not a reaction she had seen coming. “Tif is living her life, like a normal person. So if she is going on a date with some loser that is her decision,“ he took a sip and shrugged. “I guess she has to use her time as long as the family is out.“   
“He is not some loser!“ Tifa answered irritated while almost laughing out loud before she shook her head again. “That is not the point! It’s not a date!“  
“Who is it? Where are you going?“ Elena inquired.  
Tifa shrugged again.   
“Some guy from the gym. We’re going to some club, for drinks and dancing...“  
“Why is he not coming here? I could keep an eye on you while he is here.“   
That caused both Reno and Tifa to give Elena a look of ‘repeat that to yourself once more.’  
“Oh, shut up you two!“ Elena crossed her arms and huffed.   
Reno chuckled before he gave Tifa that calculating look again: “Dancing and alcohol sounds a lot like a date, yo. Planning anything more, hmm?“

“It‘s! Not! A! Date! it‘s… a compensation!“ Tifa did her best to not blush in embarrassment. “I kicked him in the face and I said I‘ll buy him a drink as an excuse. A compensation!“  
Both Elena and Reno shared a look before Elena answered: “It still does sound like a date. Especially since you don’t give him his free drink here.“  
"With an abusive twist. Maybe he likes that.“  
“You two are awful!“  
“Comes with the job,“ Reno smirked before taking a sip of his scotch.  
“Not anymore! I‘m a barmaid now and I have to work on my empathy!“ with that Elena turned back to Tifa, even laid her hands on the other woman's shoulders to add: “I support you and if you really think that this is no date, then I do believe you and won‘t comment on how that explains how giddy you were or how you seemed to daydream a lot today. You totally won‘t woo this man off his feet! And you don‘t need to worry, I got you covered here.“ With a nod Elena then turned to make another round through the room, to ask if anyone needed something, a bright smile on her face. Sarcasm ran in the family, Tifa figured and rubbed her forehead.   
Reno started to snicker.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ... it absolutely does sound like a date.


	9. Drive to the Club

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (day27 - Saturday night)

As said, Tifa had left early, leaving Elena to close the bar who, after warning Tifa to be careful, had been more than eager to prove that she was capable. She always showed so much enthusiasm about her work, it was a delight. What wasn‘t a delight was the nervousness Tifa felt. And no matter what Elena said, she wasn’t giddy. It may be the first (not-)date since one and a half years or so... but that did not mean that she was looking forward to it. It wasn’t even a real date!   
But it sure as hell felt like one. That much was true. Rude hadn‘t told her what kind of dancing they would do. She wasn‘t even big on dancing. She just hoped that she could improvise somehow.   
In the gym she greeted Shelly as always, barely hearing the girl chatter about her last night out with her girlfriends.  
“Hey, I won‘t stay long. I‘ll just take a shower and change.“  
“Wait, what!?“  
Tifa strode away, too much in thought to actually answer.   
She had opted to get ready at home but the locker rooms were well lit and more spacious than her bathroom. And she didn‘t want Elena to snoop around, tease her and ask even more questions. 

It had been too long for her to be in a situation in which she had to doll-up. With uncertainty she considered what kind of make-up she should use and then decided for the very basics. A bit of foundation, dark eye-shadow, eyeliner, Mascara. She liked her eyes. They had an unusual colour and she remembered how Aerith had told her that she should accentuate them more, that they were at least as spectacular as her boobs.  
Tifa smiled at the memory while applying eyeshadow. For a girl looking so innocent Aerith always had made the crudest jokes, causing a lot of giggle fits. Yuffie and Tifa had learned a lot on that trip years ago.   
Again the woman realised that she had no female friend to discuss topics like boys and dating. Even as her best friend, Cloud was clearly no option. He would feel too awkward. Barret was out of the question. And the rest of the guys were no option either. Shelly would love to indulge in such banter bit she was still not really a friend, was she? Elena might be a new option? But with her it would probably always feel like Tifa gave away information to be later used against her. And also whatever was going to happen, when she talked to Elena she had to be careful not to give away that she was meeting with her Turk colleague. At least at the moment… and it was highly unlikely that they would do something like this not-date again.  
Maybe she should call Yuffie one of these days? She was now a grown up even if Tifa still saw her as the child she used to be.

Finishing her eyes, she added red lipstick, repeating the colour of her dress. The top part was a tight fit, showing off her slim figure and giving ther bust a light boost and support without showing too much cleavage. It was held by straps and went down to her knees, where the skirt was flowing enough so she could fight if necessary. She had also opted for shorts under it. Against the cold and she had no intention of flashing around her panties. In case of a fight. For her shoes she had decided for black light ones. No high heels. Not when she was almost certain she had to fight. That was also the reason she tied her hair in a ponytail, remembering how she wore them back in her high days. A black bolero finished the outfit. She had bought the dress for a business party Barret had given a year ago. Time really passed. 

Tifa glanced once more in the mirror. The woman who stared back was beautiful but she did not recognize herself, felt awkward and out of place. She sighed. It would be fine. This was make believe. Not a real date. A chance to get information about what was going on in her life. What the situation was. About how she could more effectively protect herself and her family. A cover. Tifa packed up her things she would not need and locked the sports bag away. The rest was shoved in her purse, ice Materia hidden in there together with a pair of gloves.

With a sigh and a huff she stood up, glancing up at the clock. She still had five more minutes. With determination in her eyes she walked to the entry, fully prepared for Shellys unleashing of questions.  
The unleash never came because Rude was already there, waiting and humoring the noisy gym employee.  
As soon as Tifa had appeared, Shelly had squealed in delight and surprise, slapping both hands over her mouth and then looking up at Rude to observe his reaction.   
Which was… none. At first Tifa had thought he looked surprised but it was actually neutral as ever, even while his eyes travelled along her whole body. Now she felt stupid for being nervous at all. It was not real!  
She stepped up to the counter, awkwardly smiling at both of the other people.  
“Hey, Rudolph,“ the name still felt weird to say. “I hope I‘m not overdressed… you never said where we are going. To dance.“  
“It’s perfect. You look beautiful,“ again no smile. But his whole body was kinda tense. He probably felt awkward too. At least that!  
“I… thanks. I‘m… you… you look…,“ she looked up and down his figure. There had been only two outfits she had seen him in before. One was his professional Turk outfit: suit, tie, glasses, no bullshit attitude that was always a bit intimidating. The other had been his work-out clothes that consisted of a muscle shirt and loose sport pants. Now he was wearing dark jeans, a white button down and his jacket over his arm. This was so…: “… casual.“   
As soon as she said it she closed her eyes, feeling the heat of embarrassment on her face and clenched her fists in her skirt, while thinking: ‚What the fuck?‘   
She heard a muttered “Oh, Tifa. No.“ from Shelly, and slowly opened her eyes again. A peak up to Rudes face showed nothing but a light strain that could be both amusement or disapproval. Always positive and absolutely not bitter, Tifa figured it was the latter. She didn‘t want the earth to open up and swallow her because that had been a once-in-a-lifetime experience she never wanted to repeat but for a second she really opted to flee, run home and hide.   
“That has to do then,“ he nodded and Tifa could swear she saw a smirk for a split second but immediately afterwards he smiled at Shelly with another nod of his head. “Have a nice evening,“ and back to Tifa: “Shall we?“  
Tifa nodded and shrugged and turned to Shelly to wave at her. “See you tomorrow.“  
“Have a nice date you two~,“ the woman sang back, causing Tifa to cringe a bit. No date! No date! No date!   
“It‘s not a date. It‘s a compensation,“ Rude answered while opening the door for Tifa who stared at him for a moment with big eyes. She shook her head while fleeing outside but not far since she was on a not-date with Rude right now. 

“My car is over there,“ he pointed towards it. He was wearing a hat now, Tifa registered. They walked up to it and to Tifa's surprise he hurried to open the car door for her. She really wasn‘t used to men being gentlemanly around her. But it seemed like that was his thing so maybe she should get used to it to some extent.   
When he also got in, with jacket on, immediately losing the hat, she spied over to him not sure how to ask: “Is it…?“  
“It‘s safe to talk.“  
“Thank the Goddess!“ she exhaled and bent forward.  
“Are you okay?“ His voice actually sounded surprised.  
“Yah… M‘fine,“ Tifa gasped before she sat up again. “The suspension is killing me. And I‘m so sorry! You do look good. I don‘t know why I said casual! But I‘ve never seen you in such a casual outfit before. I guess that was the reason. I was caught by surprise. I‘m STILL not over the fact that you are not wearing your sunglasses! But a hat? And everyone is talking about this being a date! Even Elena and Reno! And this is not a date but how am I supposed to explain that without telling too much!? And I don‘t know how much they know so I just said nothing! I didn’t say who I am meeting! Plus there is the fact that my bar! My freaking bar! Is bugged! I just want to know what is going on!? What these assholes want from me and what I can do to end it!“ She took deep breaths, trying to calm herself down. “I‘m just a bit stressed.“

Tifa was sure that Rude stared at her like she had finally completely lost it but she didn‘t dare to peek over. Who was she kidding, she would see no expression. And that was even worse.  
After a few moments of silence he finally answered: “Understandable.“  
With that he started the engine and pulled out on the road.   
When they finally reached the main street to the outer level of Edge, Rude started to talk again:  
“You know, my first instinct was to tell you you look practical. Then I settled for beautiful which really is more appropriate. Even if both are true.“  
For a second Tifa hesitated, not sure what to make of it. But finally a smile settled on her lips: “You noticed, huh?“  
He hummed in agreement: “I don’t think there will be a fight tonight but it’s good that you’re prepared.“   
Tifa nodded. She did not enlighten him that it wasn’t only because of the Mafia. She still did not trust the Turks, no matter how nice they seemed.   
“But you know… if you had greeted me with ‘You look practical’ and I would have then answered with ‘You look casual’... I think Shelly would have fainted on the spot,“ Tifa chuckled.   
“... Reno too if he had been there.“   
“Elena would have face palmed and Cloud would have nodded in agreement,“ she started to laugh and when she looked over she saw him smiling causing her to stop and then coughing awkwardly, caught by surprise. It was probably a trick from the light.   
“Uhhh… anyway where are we going? A safe place?“  
“A club controlled by the Mafia.“  
“Uhm… what?“ Tifa really tried not to sound panicked.   
“I know it may sound weird but…,“ he stopped himself, maybe figuring how to explain his thoughts of reason. “It’s loud. It’s crowded. No bugs in the public area. Drinks. It will actually help my case if I appear there with you.“   
Tifa blinked a few times, staring at the man beside her who did not let his eyes leave the street. Their travel had already led them to one of the outer areas of Edge, nearer to the ruins of Midgar.   
“C.. case? What is your case? Why does neither Elena nor Reno know where you are?“   
Rude stayed silent for another moment. Really, if the situation would not be so stressful, Tifa would have thought nothing of it. But like this she just wanted ANSWERS.   
“Rude, please? I really need to know.“   
He stared at the road ahead for another moment, then shook his head and glanced over to her.   
“I’m on a mission to infiltrate the Mafia to find out more about their dealings. Especially about human trafficking and the attacks on civilians. I haven’t been really far in, when you fought the mobsters in the alley. After that they developed an interest in you. They figured that I am, because I helped you, now an acquaintance of yours. That I might be able to... get near you. To earn your trust.“   
“An interest…?“   
Rude pulled the car in a big parking space in front of a well-lit building that once had been some kind of factory.  
“Yes. I’m not absolutely sure what about exactly. There are rumors about illegal fights. I don’t think they want to kill you.“   
Tifa's eyes grew wide. How could he deliver such messages so calmly? Also that had been a lot of words. For him anyway. After a few more moments of letting them sink in, while staring at the building she continued her questioning: “You think they want to kidnap me? So I can fight?“ With a frown she turned again and looked at Rude.   
This time he only nodded while carefully observing her. His face giving away nothing again.   
“And you’re supposed to... seduce... me… or?“   
He halted for a second before he cleared his throat and shrugged, his hand had searched for a tie that wasn’t there so he let it drop again: “I guess that is their idea...“   
“Hm,“ Tifa nodded again and then took a deep breath. “Okay,“ she thought for a few more moments but really, nothing made sense anymore. So, screw it. “We should probably go, before anyone wonders what we are doing. You still have to ‘woo’ me in front of everyone. And I need a drink and some more answers.“   
With that, she opened the door and got out, straightening her dress, and turning to see Rude also stepping out, glancing around the parking lot and then walking around the car to stand beside her, nodding and gesturing to the building.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little bit of plot. We're getting there. Ah, I love tropes. This is full on Undercover as Lovers.


	10. Absolutely not a date.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (day 27 - Saturday to Sunday night)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long chapter ahead. The longest chapter with over 4000 words. Themes are ptsd and flirting. Lots of flirting. I had fun.

The Club was very big, very colourful and very loud. Before she had been the head of a household, a lifetime ago, Tifa had visited a couple of underground clubs with Jessie but those had been small with live bands and a familiar feeling. This was different. Lights and sounds could easily confuse the senses. It was like a labyrinth where one could get lost in the mass of people. Rude seemed to know his way around, so Tifa grabbed onto his hand. Of course not out of fear or because he was the only familiar thing around! She still distrusted him. Maybe her grip was a bit too hard, probably hurting him but he did not complain.

The dance floor was on a lower level, so she could see the sea of humans moving more or less in synchronisation to the music. It was hypnotizing. It was indeed like a factory where energy was produced through dancing. The beat was causing an almost unpleasant thumping in her chest, forcing her to take a haggard breath. It was like staring down in another kind of lifestream. The music became a dull noise. She feared that if she took another step she would fall into the depth again. She hated this. 

Tifa hadn‘t even consciously realized that she had stopped in her tracks to stare down, lost in her own thoughts until she felt a light squeeze on her hand.   
Looking up at Rude she thought he might almost look worried but that couldn‘t be right. He never showed emotions. Not towards her anyway.  
“Are you okay?“   
She didn‘t hear him, the sound of the music still drowning out everything around her. But she had been asked that so often in the last week, she figured it out by the movement of his lips. This time she didn‘t answer with her usual ‚I‘m fine.‘ She wasn’t fine. She shook her head.  
Again this stare of him, maybe it was an indication that he was working out a plan of action. That would explain it. At least she could concentrate on his face in hopes that it would calm her but his dark eyes were reflecting all kinds of colours, making her feel like falling again. Her grip on his hand got slack.   
He finally moved and she suddenly felt glasses slipped on her face, drowning out some of the lights, making her blink. He laid his arm around her shoulder and she was maneuvered through the crowd. Moments later they were standing in a white, very basic corridor, brightly lit. The sound was far away now, replaced by the electric humming in the neon tubes and no one else was around. He carefully sat her down, so she could lean on the wall, himself squatting down in front of her  
“Careful, I take the glasses off again…,“ she closed her eyes to not overexert them and opened them slowly when she felt the glasses being slipped off. 

She blinked a few times and took a deep breath: “Better. Thanks.“   
He didn’t downright answer but shook his head, putting his glasses back in his pocket, studying her face. Tifa wasn’t sure what he was looking for. Once again she realized how normal his eyes looked with that warm brown. Suddenly she blushed becoming aware about how near he was. He moved away a bit.  
“Is that something you experience often?“  
She really couldn‘t figure out what that sound in his voice was. Anger? Worry? Basic curiosity?   
Either way she shook her head and took a deep breath and looked down at her knees.   
“This was the first time. It reminded me of the sea… and the lifestream… the lights, the movements, the energy… so much energy…“   
Remembering Junon and her time in Mideel, she shook her head and closed her eyes to shoo it all away. In the end everything had worked out but those moments before she fell…  
A touch prompted her to look over to her hand. Rude had taken it in his own. Her eyes travelled up to his face and this time she saw worry.  
“I‘m sorry,...“ she started, surprised that she caused emotion but before she could get further he shook his head.  
“Bad memories. Triggers. I get it.“  
She stared and then nodded. Of course. The Turks had experienced a lot of shit too. They probably also had nights in which they woke up in a panic and cold sweat.   
“Talking and therapy helps. But that is out of reach for the moment. So, the second best, faster, shorter working and less advisable is alcohol. You probably know that.“  
Tifa chuckled at that and Rudes expression was neutral again. But maybe the corner of his mouth just rose a bit. 

That moment the door at the far end opened, music and noise flushed in a girl wearing a bikini-top, booty-shorts and knee high stiletto boots. The door fell closed again while she walked up to them, surprise on her face.  
“Rudolph! I thought it‘s your free evening? Oh! Is everything all right?“ There was concern on her face and in her voice when she spotted Tifa.  
“I‘m on a not-really-a-date-yet. Tifa felt a bit overwhelmed and dizzy in the dance hall,“ again there was this charming smile on his face that he gave every female except her. Like the girl at the check-in or at the cost-check. Not that it mattered. Just an interesting observation.  
“I‘m better now, after Rudolph brought me here. Hi, I‘m Tifa the not-really-a-date-yet,“ she waved at the girl with the hand that was not held by Rude.   
The smile the woman answered with was dazzling. She really was beautiful with her dark blond hair and she seemed genuinely nice.  
“Aww. He is so gentlemanly! One of the best bouncers we ever had. He keeps all the girls safe. A real catch. Good for you! I would try my luck if I weren‘t spoken for,“ she winked at Tifa, who had her head cocked a bit and felt a smirk slowly forming on her face. The girl continued her fast paced story: “The other girls and some boys tried but it seemed like not one had luck with him. He is not reacting beyond being polite to any amount of flirting. So seeing you I‘m pleasantly surprised. I feared he would be alone forever. I guess he likes more down-to-earth girls, huh? Even though you‘re very beautiful you could easily become a favored hostess or dancer here. Do you need a job?“  
“Jenn. Don‘t gossip,“ the tone of his voice reminded Tifa of the no-bullshit attitude she had come to know from their past encounters. Mostly used towards Reno.  
The girl - Jenn - smiled cutely and a bit teasing.   
“I don‘t need a job. But thank you for the offer and the compliment,“ Tifa smiled back. Even if she was a bit irritated about the ‘down-to-earth' part. Maybe she still had that small-village-girl thing about her? After ten years she had thought it would be gone.   
“Aww, pity. You could earn so much money.“   
“Really? How much?“ it wasn‘t like Tifa was interested but now she wanted to know.  
“A good 2000 - 4000 Gil per night, depending on your customer…“  
“Wha…“  
“No.“ Rudes deep voice cut in, causing Jenn to chuckle.  
“Aww! Don‘t get jealous, Rudolph.“  
“Jenn, is the Salsa Bar open tonight?“  
“It is. A good crowd is there.“  
“All right,“ he stood up again, letting go of Tifa’s hand but then offering her both of his to pull her up. “Let’s hit the bar and get some food in us.“   
“Have fun you two! Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!“ With a wave Jenn left and was soon out of sight, walking through another door. They stood for a few seconds looking after her.   
“She seems nice...,“ Tifa commented, a calm voice in the back of her head informed her that she and Rude were still holding hands.   
He finally stepped back, releasing her hands and leaving Tifa feeling a bit colder: “Everyone will know about this not-date tomorrow.“   
“Thinking it was a date.“   
Rude nodded: “Exactly.“   
“Will this be a problem?“ she actually wanted to ask ‚will this help?‘ because Tifa was really curious but that would be a weird question to ask. She had to act like she did not know that they were in a nightclub owned by the Mafia. After all this should show the Mob that he was following the plan of pursuing her so she would be an easier target.   
He didn’t answer immediately, but then shook his head.   
“I don‘t think so. Are you feeling well enough to go to the other bar? I hope it will be more to your liking.“   
Tifa nodded.  
They managed to reach that other bar through a maze of corridors. And yes it was much more to her liking. It had a Costa del Sol ambience and reminded her more of a restaurant with a dancefloor, that people used to dance to the typical music of that area. It was still very loud and bigger than any club she had been to before. But it was also much more relaxed than the main area. 

Moments later they sat in a booth with a round table and bench, a little to the side of the dance floor. The music would drone out whatever they would talk about. Immediately a waitress appeared.   
“Oh hey, Rudolph. Who is your friend?“   
This girl was not as nice as Jenn. She smiled but there was an edge to her voice and a spark in her eyes that communicated hope that Tifa would drop dead. Tifa figured that behind Jenns words were a lot of truth. Rude… no Rudolph was a sought after bachelor. She tried her best not to laugh at the thought. So she hid her face behind the menu and asked for a bottle of wine, a glass and no food. Rude decided for some fries and a beer.   
“A whole bottle of wine?“ he asked after the girl left again.   
Tifa shrugged and gave him a lopsided grin: “Don’t worry I can hold my liquor. But mostly I’m not risking getting spit in my drink because your admirers are angry at me.“ She enjoyed his slight surprised expression. “I’ll also steal a couple of fries from you if it’s okay?“  
“Sure.“ 

\---

It would actually be hilarious how many hostesses passed their table to get a look at them if it weren’t for the fact that Tifa wanted to talk to Rude in peace. It didn’t earn her sympathy points that she had moved up to sit directly beside him to have a better reach to the fries as well as to be able to talk to him in whispers.   
“So, none of the girls caught your interest? Some of them are really beautiful,“ another girl was passing with a patron staring over to Tifa, who tried to ignore it so she wouldn’t start to laugh.   
“I’m not working here to find a girlfriend.“   
“Either way they are really smitten with you. But I’m sure it would be different if they knew your real occupation.“  
She bit into another fry, raising both eyebrows at him.   
He took a sip from his drink.   
“Some say women like dangerous men.“   
“Whatever dangerous in that scenario means,“ she also took a sip from her wine. The bottle had been enclosed and Tifa had polished the glass with a tissue before she used it. “In my opinion every man can be potentially dangerous. Some are more prone or just have more means to it.“  
When she turned back she was greeted by an intense stare from her company with no way to decipher it. She really could hold her liquor but half a bottle of wine on an almost empty stomach was still affecting her. So she knew that she was a little bolder than usual. But even if she was aware, she could still blame the alcohol.   
She leaned forward, to be even nearer, propping her face on her left hand and snatching another fry: “I admit you’re dangerous but I can say that because I know what you are really capable of. But I guess the women here are looking for something else. Jenn said something about safety, which is the opposite of danger and what women really want. And I get it, you’re a gentleman. Your smile and behaviour is really charming. No wonder the girls have high hopes,“ she finally bit down on the fry, her eyes not wavering. This was probably the longest she had kept eye contact. If Rude felt uncomfortable he did not show it. He still broke it first, also grabbing a few fries.   
“You wanted information.“   
“Right. First question, why no glasses?“   
“The same reason I don’t wear the suit and no earrings but a hat. It’s part of the cover.“   
She was surprised. She hadn’t even realised that he was missing the piercings. It was funny how he looked more harmless as a Mafia-man than as a Turk.   
“What exactly is your cover?“  
“Rudolph worked as a bouncer in Costa del Sol and only recently came to Edge to find a new life in the new city.“  
“Why did he leave Costa del Sol?“   
“Bad breakup.“   
Tifa nodded. That made sense. Even though it must have been pretty bad one if he had to leave.   
“What assignment did the Turks give you again?“  
“Uncovering information about illegal businesses. First priority is finding the kidnapped people and the names of the high ranked mobsters. By all means necessary.“   
“And you started here as a bouncer?“  
“Bouncer, bodyguard, hired muscle.“  
Tifa refilled her glass, she needed a sip for the next question.   
“Hitman?“   
“Not yet.“  
“All right. Your assignment by the Mob?“  
“Earning your trust and helping them to kidnap you.“  
“Since the evening that I met the goons in the alley?“   
Rude nodded, grabbing a few more fries. Tifa thought for a moment.   
“Why did you start to train at the gym? That was way before this whole mess.“   
“The gym belongs to the Mafia.“ Tifa sighed. Of course. “I started there to get into contact with some members. It got me the job at the club. It wasn’t part of the plan to meet you there.“   
"What about Shelly?“  
"She got me the job here so I am quite certain she knows about the Mafia but how much? No idea.“

Their waitress stepped up to their table. She probably didn’t like the view of them sitting so near to each other.   
“Everything good? Do you need something?“  
Rude smiled at the girl and that made her blush and stand to attention. Like a dog hoping for a treat. Maybe Tifa should feel sorry for the girls. They yearned for something that couldn’t be. Something she knew so well.   
“Water, please.“  
“I’m fine, thank you!“ Tifa added with her best customer smile.  
The girl nodded, slightly annoyed by Tifa’s behaviour. As soon as the waitress left Tifa furrowed her brows: “You are aware that she would do everything you asked of her?“   
“I don’t want that.“   
“That speaks in your favour.“ There was no question that some men wouldn‘t think twice about using that for their own gain.  
“Any more questions?“  
“Hmm… neither Elena nor Reno know about you visiting the gym. Why?“   
“Tseng thought it’s better that way. No interaction with them will support my story.“  
“I think they miss you.“  
For a short moment a small smile appeared on Rude‘s face. But it almost immediately vanished again. Maybe the smile in the car hadn’t been her imagination after all. It was good to know that mentioning his friends could crack his stubborn exterior. It made him seem more human.  
“What do you know about the Mob so far?“  
“As said they are accountable for the recent kidnappings and attacks on civilians in Edge, old Midgar and surrounding areas. Even Kalm. If the ransom is not paid, the people are trafficked. Some end in the fighting arena. Others are sold to work somewhere else. We are not sure where to. Shop owners are threatened too. Those who can‘t pay protection money are also in danger of getting targeted as well as their families.“ It sounded like he read it from a paper.   
“What?“ Tifa felt sick to her stomach. Those assholes! “If anyone would touch my family I would kill them.“   
Rude nodded.   
“They would have targeted Marlene and Denzel,“ it wasn’t a question because she knew. And she had brought that to her family. It was her fault.  
“Absolutely. It was smart that you sent them away.“  
“Do they know who I am? Who Cloud is?“   
Rude nodded his head and then shrugged.  
“I’m not sure. It’s hard to imagine that they don’t.“   
Tifa grabbed her glass a little bit harder. This was bad. Really bad. She filled it again and drank it in one go. She would give her left leg for a stronger drink but nooo! They had to be in a bar where almost every girl was jealous about her not-date.   
Her life was fucked up. Just last week everything had been downright BORING. Tifa shook her head and sighed. She had survived Sephiroth. More than once. She would survive this too. And her family would be safe again.   
“Do you want to dance?“   
She considered it and wondered if it was an attempt to bring her out of her thoughts. Or he just wanted to dance. Maybe that had been his reason to come here after all. She didn’t really know how to dance though and a survey of the dancefloor seemed to suggest that everyone on it knew exactly how to move in perfect harmony to the music with trained steps. It wasn’t all the same. Some were dancing other… dances… but it all looked very coordinated.   
“I can’t dance,“ with a frown she looked at him.   
“I’ll show you,“ he stood up and reached his hand out to her. 

Ten minutes later Tifa was a mix of highly amused and frustrated. She had stepped on Rudes feet multiple times which he had shrugged off. The turns were fun because it made her skirt fly, but she tended to forget how many steps she had to do with which foot. The alcohol intoxicating her wasn’t helping. He didn’t seem outright annoyed by it, so that was a good thing. The song stopped, changing into a way slower beat. Tifa groaned, shaking her head: “I’m so sorry!“   
“Don’t worry about it. It’s not so bad for your first try.“   
“That is just a nice way of saying that it is bad!“  
Rude shrugged, coaxing her into another turn. That she could do. It was fun to twirl.  
“Do you want to sit back down?“   
“No,“ she took his hands and placed them on her waist, bringing her own up and around his neck. “I can do a slow dance.“   
A lot of the couples around them were doing the same, just slowly swinging from one side to the other. She had to give it to him that he did not use the opportunity to feel her up, still being a complete gentleman. It was a bit irritating and she was not sure if she trusted him more or less because of it plus she wondered if he was analyzing the situation too. Right now she had him basically trapped but he did not seem to be uncomfortable. Not that it meant anything. She could throw him an escape to cease the analytical stare-off they just both participated in. 

“Where did you learn to dance?“ Maybe she wasn‘t the most qualified person to judge but he sure seemed to know what he was doing.  
“Dancing class.“  
“Seriously? Those still exist?“  
“Years ago but yes, they do.“  
“Huh… maybe I should take one… one day.“  
“Maybe. Wanna turn again?“  
“Sure!“  
It was a slow one just right to the beat but when he tugged her back, keeping her hand in his left and settling his right on her back, causing her to lay her left hand in his shoulder and to stay a bigger distance away from each other.  
‘Interesting,’ Tifa realised. He was keeping her away, for one reason or another. Well, their date was still fake. It definitely meant that Rude didn't feel comfortable being so near. She hummed a bit after that thought. Maybe there were a couple of conclusions to draw from that.   
He looked down at her with a raised eyebrow. She wouldn’t explain her train of thought because she herself couldn’t make sense of them just yet, so she changed the topic.   
“Any more skills that don‘t usually come with your profession? Do you paint? Play a musical instrument? Uh… I don‘t know… groom dogs?“  
What followed was one of those long stares. Tifa chuckled, shaking her head lightly: “I was joking…“  
“But I do groom dogs.“   
“What? REALLY?“  
“No.“  
With an angry smile she hit him lightly on the shoulder. There was a quirk to his mouth… she was almost sure. 

The music changed again into a very fast pace and Rude stepped away and they both returned to the table. Tifa sat down and took another sip from her wine.   
“I cook,“ Rude also took a sip of his water. “Quite good as I was told.”  
Tifa nodded. That seemed more like it. An activity that required precision, following orders and intuition.   
“What about you?“  
Tifa thought about it a bit. Something that had nothing to do with her job?   
“I also cook… but… rarely because I just want to. I used to play piano. I guess if I restarted to practise again it might be decent one day…,“ she thought back on the last time she had played… back in Nibelheim. The new Nibelheim.   
“Tifa. Stay with me.“  
Oh right. The not-date. He must have seen her thoughts trailing off. She shook her head, emptying her glass and pouring the rest of the bottle into it: "I can do a lot of things but I don‘t do anything just for fun.“  
That was a depressing thought but the truth. Maybe she could start to knit again. It was cheap and she could do it in-between. 

They stayed silent for a couple of moments, Tifa letting her finger glide along the rim of the glass until it started to vibrate in a soft tone.   
“I’m sorry. I probably bore you.“  
“You don’t. Do you want something else? Stronger?“  
She pursed her lips in thought. And then shook her head even if she would like to have a real drink. She didn’t look at him: “Just one more question.“  
He nodded and hummed in agreement.  
“What will ShinRa gain from this whole mess?“   
It took awhile before he answered. Tifa was staring at his hands, hands that were so strong they could kill without much effort but were also surprisingly tender if necessary. Subconsciously she flexed her own hands.   
“Safety for the citizens of Edge. If successful, more commissions by the government. Good grace from Spiky and you.“   
Tifa laughed without humor while shaking her head. That they always had to give Cloud stupid nicknames. But yeah, this seemed like good reasons for Rufus to order his assassins to do something like levering an organized crime organisation and to help her in the process. To have one good from Cloud… that was actually very reasonable. If it would work was another story. But Cloud was a good guy and if necessary he would remember that the Turks protected Tifa. She didn’t know if a favour from her would be any good but maybe she would find something like acceptance for ShinRa. They should be thankful for that. She wasn’t sure if she believed the first part. But it was a good reason for her to help. Safety for the citizens of Edge.   
“I see.“   
Rude waved at their waitress who looked very happy to come over, showing a very annoying smirk. The other girls as well as their waitress had probably seen the dance, the distance Rude had put between them and how Tifa now seemed almost annoyed. 

Slowly Tifa took a long sip from the glass without letting the girl out of her eye, seeing her whole body being flirty towards Rude. She knew she should feel sorry for this delusional woman, but when she gave Tifa an arrogant side eye, while the Turk smiled at the girl, that was too much.   
Fuck that. She watched Rude paying. She really had wanted to pay. Well it was at least a hook. She moved up to sit even nearer to Rude, letting her fingers lightly run along his hand.   
“Didn’t I say I want to invite you to a drink? It’s kind of unfair. Now I have to find another way to repay you,“ her voice got more husky and something she hoped was a sensual tone, she smiled up at his neutral face. The face he used when he did not want to give away what he was thinking, so much she had figured out now. He had different neutral faces. “Ready to go when you are…,“ Tifa finally whispered, cocked her head and let her hand lay still, except for her thumb. That she let brush over his knuckles.   
“Okay. See you tomorrow, Rudolph.“   
His head snapped up to the waitress as if he had forgotten her existence. And then nodded at her. He then turned back to Tifa, who smirked at the girl who answered with a death glare and finally left again.   
“Do I have to understand that?“  
“No,“ Tifa released his hand and moved away a bit, enough to reach her glass, trying her hardest not to feel embarrassed and chugged down the rest of her wine. But heck yeah, she still got it! “Let’s go?“ 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm one of the lucky people who does not really experience trigger and flashbacks and my last panic attack is some years ago. So if any of this is not 100% accurate I'm sorry. 
> 
> Honestly I don't think any of the Characters is emotionally fit but I can see at least the Turks having access to help. Not former Avalanche though.  
Writing this story gave me a lot of headcanons.


	11. Let's do this

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (day 28 - Sunday very early morning)

Thirty minutes later they were both still sitting in the car, near 7th Heaven and Tifa didn‘t want to leave just yet. The ride itself had been silent and warm and she had almost fallen asleep. Outside it was cold and she had to be careful what she was saying. Here back at her place the reality of the situation became more real again. She was targeted by the freaking Mafia that probably wanted her to participate in illegal fights. But at least her family was safe for now and she wasn’t alone. The Turks had something like a plan. She had to know what it was to act accordingly. They still had to talk business: “So, what are the next steps?“  
“I‘ll do my job,“ it sounded very matter of factly.  
Tifa hummed in agreement and came to a conclusion: “You can tell them that we are dating now. That should give the whole thing a boost,“ Tifa considered all the angry girls in the club but couldn’t bring herself to feel sorry. It wasn’t like they ever had a chance. Rude had said so himself.   
He nodded: “It would help. You are okay with that?“ There was a hint of worry in his voice.  
Tifa took a deep breath: “Sure. If it helps the case, keeps my family safe and saves my life, then I‘ll be fine.“  
Again that long look from Rude, before he spoke again: “What about Strife?“  
Her eyebrows rose in surprise. That had to be important for him using Clouds real name. So she looked over to Rude with a squint and furrowed eyebrows: “What about him?“  
“Will he be okay with it?“  
It took her a few moments before it dawned on her.  
“We are not a couple.“  
“You are... not?“  
“No… we are… family. I guess we are more than friends but platonic. I do love him but like... a sibling? He is my best friend,“ she stopped for a moment trying to clear it up further but didn‘t find a way. “It‘s complicated. Besides, I sent him away so he would not interfere,“ she nodded to herself. “So, if there is no one waiting for you at home who could object, I‘m game.“  
He shook his head, keeping his eyes on her.   
“All right. Then let‘s do this,“ Tifa said again, looking out of the front window towards her bar. She could see a shadow moving on the second floor. Elena was still awake.  
“I‘m sorry for the trouble,“ he did sound genuine.  
Tifa shrugged again: “It‘s not your fault. It‘s the fault of the Mafia. Also I‘m kinda glad it‘s you who has to ‘seduce’ me. I think it would be worse with any of your colleagues.“  
“How so?“  
“I guess… Elena would ultimately freak out, Reno is… well, Reno. I don‘t trust him as far as I can throw him. I don‘t even know what to think of Tseng. I think I would rather not have to act like his girlfriend,“ she remembered a few of the things Aerith had told her.  
“I‘m sure you could throw Reno pretty far.“  
That caused Tifa to laugh out loud.  
“Maybe. But don‘t misunderstand. I don‘t trust you either. I don‘t trust ShinRa or their employees,“ while she said that she peeked over hoping to see a reaction.  
He nodded: “Understandable.“  
“Hm,“ she smiled. “Well, I guess I should go. My roommate is waiting. The bar is open until one, tomorrow. I should be at the gym at a quarter to two. If not, I’ll call you.“  
He nodded again: “Thank you for the evening. See you tomorrow…“  
With a smile, she left the car and walked to her front door. The car did not start when she had opened the door, so she turned around again. Was he taking care that she did not get lost on the five meter way to her door? She waved and only then heard the engine start up and the car pulled away. Tifa shook her head. Seriously.   
Closing the door behind her she steeled herself for the questioning that was surely to come. 

As soon as she walked in on the flat, she called: “I’m home.“  
Elena’s head peeked out of the kitchen towards Tifa who stifled a yawn.   
“Do you want tea? How was it?“ Without waiting for an answer Elena came out of the kitchen, already in sleeping clothes and with a cup in her hand that she pressed in Tifas. For a moment the Turk stilled, taking in Tifa's appearance. “Wow, for a not-date this is quite the outfit. You look stunning!“  
“Thank you,“ with a smile she took a sip of the tea and then let herself be dragged into the warm kitchen and seated on her usual chair.   
“All right. Tell me everything. How was it?“ Elena herself sat down opposite and took her own cup of tea in her hands while her eyes showed pure excitement. Maybe she had similar problems as Tifa. No female friends, no personal life and a hope for second hand saucy details from the life of the few female acquaintances. Tifa smiled with a frown. It could have actually been a fun situation. If this all would have been real and not a secret operation and if Tifa wouldn’t have to be very careful about what she said: “It was nice. He is the perfect gentleman, we danced… or he tried to show me how to dance and we had a good time. Except for the fact that almost all female staff from the club want into his pants. Maybe some of the male too? Can’t really say.“   
“Seriously? Is he that cute?“  
Tifa sighed, sitting upright and took a sip from the tea, trying to figure out how to answer the question as innocuous as possible: “Cute is not the right word. He’s attractive. Well built and strong. Good looking. Kinda caring. Warm eyes. Very attentive but also somehow distant? I guess it’s because he had a bad break-up recently,“ remembering Rudes cover. She had to be careful. Elena only looked harmless. She was a Turk after all. At least she didn‘t need to worry about Mafia bugs in her living quarters. Elena had swept the place and found nothing.   
“Sounds nice. Where is he from?“   
Tifa shook her head, a smile creeping on her face.   
“I’m not gonna tell. I don’t want you Turks checking him out. He is my little secret. For now.“   
Elena huffed showing her disappointment: “What about the girls? Did you make clear that he is yours?“   
“What? Like licking him or…?“ Tifa laughed.   
Elena shrugged: “I don’t know? Didn’t you kiss?“   
“No. No kiss. This was only the first date after all. But... well, I made suggestive smalltalk while the waitress was at our table. If looks could kill, I would have died a couple of times tonight.“   
“No wonder. You look amazing. I want to hate you but that would be unprofessional. And no other man hit on you? That is really surprising,“ Elena took a long gulp from her tea. “He really must be quite the figure.“   
Well, that was true. And Elena was right. Tifa had not been hit on by anyone. Maybe because they were sitting in a bar that was mostly frequented by couples. Everyone was there with someone else.  
“Will you see him again?“  
“Oh yes. Tomorrow night in the gym.“   
“So romantic,“ Elena deadpanned.   
Tifa chuckled and then shook her head again.   
“I’ll go to bed now. I still need to clean my face. Thank you for the tea. Good night,“ with that Tifa stood up and walked towards the bathroom, already unzipping her dress.   
“Good night!“ 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's funny because this chapter has one of the scenes when I thought "For everyone else is might be annoying that I'm not writing Rude's perspective."  
But honestly it would have been too much.  
But writing Elena is fun. I had so much fun writing all the female characters.  
Personally, I never forgave Tseng that he hit Aerith.


	12. How was your date?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 28 - Sunday

Tifa had really hoped that she would not have to retell all of that again but of course she had to. Multiple times. At noon the phone rang and like a fool she answered it. It was Marlene which made her happy even if the first words out of the girls mouth had been: “Tifa! How was your date?“  
“Marlene, who told you I went on a date?“  
“Dad did. And your helper told him. Elena. She told him you are on a date!“ The excitement in the girls voice was very cute. But Tifa wondered why?  
“It was fun, thank you for asking. When did he talk to Elena?“   
“Dad called yesterday and you weren’t there and Elena said he should try again today and after that he asked why you weren’t there but the bar was still open and she answered that you are on a date.“   
Tifa huffed a bit. It made sense that Elena had told Barret. As part of the whole scheme to make it seem like Tifa was living her normal life but she needed to explain to Elena about what to tell who. She loved her friends but sometimes they were… complicated. And she did not look forward to talking to Barret and to explain to him as to why she thought now was a good time to start dating again.   
“Listen, Marlene, you know that a date is something grown ups do to get to know each other better? It’s absolutely fine that I sometimes look for new friends. You like to make new friends too, right?“  
“Yes! That is why I think it’s awesome that you went on a date!“   
“Ah. Good. So, how are you doing? Do you enjoy your time with your dad?“  
“It’s super fun! Dad showed me the big machines that are needed to pump the oil up and it’s really fun. The whole process of how fuel is made is really interesting!“  
Tifa smiled. Marlene had a knack for science and technology.   
“So you are still in Corel?“   
“Yes, but we’ll leave tomorrow and meet up with Cloud and Denzel in Cosmo Canyon!“   
“That is awesome.“  
“And before Cloud and Denzel left yesterday, we went to Gold Saucer! We rode the gon-do-la! And we saw the Chocobos race! One of them was Clouds and it won! And we met Cait Sith! It was so much fun!“  
“I bet,“ Tifa chuckled, remembering her first visit. And the many after that. She had to visit again and see if her snowboarding record was still in place.  
“Hey, is that Tifa on the phone!?“ Barrett's voice could be heard in the background.  
“Yes, Dad!“  
“Let me talk to her!“  
Tifa rolled her eyes: “Marlene, don‘t forget that dating is something good, okay?“  
“Okay Tifa! See you soon! I love you!“  
“I love you too! Bye!“  
Tifa could hear the phone being handed over.

“Hey Tifa! What the fuck is going on!?“  
“Dad! Language!“ Marlene piped up in the background.  
“Marlene, sweety, go play outside, please.“  
“Only if you don‘t curse at Tifa!“  
“I won‘t. Promise.“  
Tifa did her best not to laugh out loud and could hear one of Marlene's very wet kisses placed on Barret's cheek before she probably skipped out.  
“So, Tifa. Once more. What the eff is going on!?“  
“A wonderful day to you too, Barret,“ she couldn‘t suppress the humor in her voice.  
“Yeah, yeah! Is it true what you wrote in the letter?“  
“It is,“ Tifa started to think about the rest of her routine for the day. She already knew what was coming after all.  
“Then how… how can you start dating now!? Are you out of your freaking mind!?“  
“First of all, I‘m a grown woman. I am capable of thinking for myself and you should trust me!“  
She loved Barret. Really. He was one of her oldest friends and she owed him a lot but his overprotectiveness could sometimes be annoying. Especially since it was so selective. Sending her on dangerous missions? No problem. She, meeting with a boy? Jessie was giving her ‘the talk’. Wedge and Biggs would have tailed her the whole evening. Well, back then she had been a teen but even later it never changed. And when Cloud had appeared, Barret had more than once told her to be extra careful. All of ‘her men‘ that came after Cloud had been scrutinized and Barret had warned her about them all. This conversation was as old as they knew each other. He was just very Dad-like sometimes. She didn‘t envy Marlene for when she would finally start dating.  
“I know that but…,“ Barret started.  
“Stop being such a worrywart! I know what I’m doing! On another note, do you remember when I was supposed to ‘meet’ with Don Corneo, all those years ago?“  
“Yes?“  
“The Club we went to reminded me a bit of the Honey Bee and Don Corneo's Mansion. And I remembered my mission from back then. Funny how things repeat sometimes.“  
The line was silent for a few moments. She really hoped that the message went through. The underlying implication that this was an undercover thing.  
“I… see. Still... What kind of guy is he? He better not be disrespectful!“  
She smiled at that and rolled her eyes. If they all only knew. Again she repeated: “A perfect gentleman. He tried nothing weird not even when we danced. And he paid. I will train with him, he also practices hand to hand combat.“  
“Is he trustworthy?“  
She wanted to answer ‚only in this context‘ but that would be a bit too much so instead she chose a white lie: “Yes.“  
“If you say so,“ he sighed. “Please be careful.“  
“Don‘t worry. Enjoy your time with Marlene and my best wishes to Nanaki when you see him.“  
“Will do. See you soon!“  
“Until then. Have fun!“

With that she stopped the call and sighed. She put the landline back in its place, allowing herself a short moment of weakness, shoulders slumped and leaning onto the table, rubbing her other hand on her forehead, repeating her Mantra in her head: ‚It will be fine. Everything will be fine. Fine, fine, fine.‘  
Then she straightened back up and walked towards the bar: “Elena! We need to talk!“

Of course later in the evening she was asked AGAIN how it had been but this time by Reno who used every opportunity to get even the smallest amount of information about this guy she was meeting.   
He was even worse than Barret because collecting information was part of his job. And of course Elena had told him everything Tifa had told her. It was made even harder by the fact that Reno was constantly trash talking this ‚stranger weirdo she had taken a liking to‘. She had to give her all to not constantly laugh.   
“If he‘s not cute he can‘t be THAT attractive, Tifa.“  
“Reno! Leave it be! I‘m giving this a chance and you won‘t change my mind.“  
“Oh come on! A guy who is distant because of a bad break up? He obviously is not fit to commit! And he probably is screwing all the girls anyway. You could do better!“  
“Like who?“   
Tifa crossed her arms waiting for an answer but Reno only opened his mouth and then closed it again. She rolled her eyes and walked to a table that needed refills.   
For the next half hour she avoided talking to Reno leaving that to Elena. But then she had to give him a refill because her helper was occupied in the kitchen.

“You know you should try to sell other food than just the snack stuff. Elena said your cooking is great.“  
“Maybe but I have neither the time nor the money to do that. So, we‘ll stick with pretzel and dips and sandwiches for now.“  
“I‘m sure Rude will help you when he comes back.“  
Now that was a sudden change in topic. And a bit irritating.   
“Why…,“ Tifa shook her head. “Why should he? It‘s not like we are friends or something. I don‘t even know if he can cook!“ Big fat lie. He said he can cook. She almost smiled at the memory but managed to change it in a frown.  
“Oh, his cooking is amazing. You should totally try it, yo. And he would do it because he is a really nice guy,“ he took a sip of his drink.“Can your gym-lover cook?“  
She wanted to shout ‘apparently!’ but decided for something else: “I couldn‘t try it myself yet but I‘ve heard that it‘s pretty good.“  
Reno didn‘t seem impressed: “Did he say that himself?“  
“No, a colleague of his told me,“ she wanted to laugh so hard at his expression. She fled to clean some dishes. 

Five minutes later Tifa had calmed down and took a last tour through the taproom. Only Reno was left, so she walked to the door to switch the open sign to ‚closed‘ and started to clean the tables.  
She saw Elena grab the broom and start at the other side of the room, so Reno just turned to continue his talk with Tifa.  
“Is it true that you can‘t dance and your date was too stupid to teach you?“  
Tifa huffed, wondering if ignoring Reno would be a bigger hassle. Probably.  
“Yes and no. It wasn‘t his fault.“  
“Do you know who is a great dancer and teacher?“  
Tifa groaned. What was going on?  
“Let me guess… Tseng?“  
Elena started to laugh really loud, straining herself to stop.   
“No. Rude!“ Reno looked like she had just made fun of his dead grandma or something.   
“Really? I would have never guessed!“ Tifa crossed her arms, now obviously getting irritated. The joke has grown old. “But seriously, why are you talking about Rude all the time? Do you want to be with him? Is he your boyfriend and you‘re proud of his accomplishments?“   
“No! He‘s like a brother and affairs between colleagues only complicate working. Also he likes only women.“   
“Okay,“ well at least that question was answered. Maybe Rude just didn‘t like her after all. It would explain why he was so distant to her. She hoped that it would not complicate how they worked together, posing as a couple. “Then why?“  
“Reno misses him,“ Elena answered for him with a cute smile. Tifa laughed about that.  
“Yeah, that is it. Probably,“ he shrugged. “Rude gone, Elena working here. It‘s boring. The new rookies aren‘t as fun.“  
That was a sentiment Tifa could get behind. Missing a friend and wanting to talk about them. She sometimes felt like that too but effectively had no one to talk to about them.   
“Well… then you‘re always welcome to come here and ramble about your friend.“   
“Nice! I do have to drag Rude in here more often, when he‘s back.“  
“Do that, I don’t mind.” ‘As long as he does not,’ she added for herself.  
"Anyway, I have to go. See you tomorrow.“  
"Be careful, Tifa!“ Elena piped up before Tifa left with a wave of her hand, aware that some rookie Turk would follow her anyway.

Minutes later she was standing in front of the gym where she would meet her new boyfriend for training. Her new boyfriend who was her old enemy. Who was not really her boyfriend because this was just a scheme. She took a deep breath and walked in.   
Shelly greeted her with a big grin, surprisingly Rude was standing at the counter too.  
It made her halt for just a second, staring at him. His face was neutral as ever.  
"Sooooo, how was your date?“  
Tifa's head snapped to the woman at the counter. Damnit! She had to act natural. She rolled her eyes but smiled: "Sorry but I had to tell it three times already so here is the short version: it was fun, we danced, we talked, he did nothing inappropriate, he paid and drove me home. A perfect gentleman. I‘d like to repeat that.“  
She smirked while she looked up to him. It wasn‘t a complete lie.  
He nodded: "I agree.“  
"You two are so weird!“ Shelly started to laugh and took Tifa's member card to scan it. "But also a match made in heaven!“  
Both looked at Shelly, Tifa feeling rather irritated: "What do you mean?“  
"I mean you two are similar in your awkwardness and helpfulness and the way you fight. But not completely the same, like you would complement each other. I just think it fits,“ Shelly shrugged a bright smile on her face. "And there is just something about you two… it‘s just… like two characters from a story or something. And a bit like you two know each other but only now you really get to become friends or… maybe like this story I’m reading? It’s enemies to lovers, reconciling after years…,“ she sighed. "I‘m glad I‘m going to witness this.“  
"Uhm…,“ Tifa tried not to look at anyone because that was way too weird. Thankfully her mind decided to not think about it and just went blank.  
"Can I watch you spar a bit?“ Shelly sounded very excited at the prospect.  
“I… I don’t… p… please don‘t say stuff like that,“ Tifa rubbed her forehead. Feeling really uncomfortable. She just wanted to train not think about weird people with weird ideas. Preferably alone which was not possible right now.   
“I‘m going to change and… see you in a sec,“ she turned to flee.

In the locker room Tifa tried her best to not start to panic while changing. That had hit home way too near and Tifa really wanted to know if Shelly could be trusted or not. Enemies to lovers. Sure! What if Rudes cover was already blown? Yesterday she thought this would be fine and going to work and now she was almost certain they already had screwed up. 

‘No! It will work out! Has to!’ Tifa steeled herself. With a deep breath she stood up and walked towards the sparring room. She had been so sure that she could do it but as soon as she stepped in and saw Rude standing there, his posture reminding her a lot about their older encounters, she wanted to flee again. This was too much! Posing as a couple was too much with everyone watching their every move 24/7! She couldn‘t do it! She simply couldn‘t! This was madness! How was this supposed to work!? Holding hands!? Touching? Caressing!? Giving each other yearning looks!? Kissing!? How far would they have to go!?  
She had only a few experiences of normal romance and now she had to do that with Rude!? A Turk? A man who had tried to kill her and vice versa? 

Maybe yesterday she had managed a little bit of flirting and teasing but for information and out of spite! They wouldn‘t last a day! Even right now when they were supposedly in an empty room, cameras were recording everything. One screw up and all the former work would be for nothing because of her!   
All of her doubt and panic had to be evident on her face, tension in her whole body, ready to run, because Rude immediately relaxed his posture, trying to look as open and harmless as possible.   
Tifa almost laughed at that. This all was so fucking stupid.  
"Tifa,“ his deep voice brought her out of her thoughts for a second, her eyes landing on his. Shit he almost looked worried again. Like yesterday in the club. Tifa cursed herself because she wanted to say sorry for causing concern. Always thinking about others first. Stupid! She was so fucking stupid! Because of course this was an opening and he used it.   
With a few fast steps he was in front of her. She should just run. Instead she stood there like a deer in the headlights, eyes closing for a second, waiting for the impact.   
"Tifa,“ there was still concern in his voice but also demand. "Look at me.“  
Really fucking stupid because she did look up. This couldn‘t be right. His eyes were soft and understanding. How the fuck? Her eyes squinted.  
His hands landed on her shoulders, warm and grounding. Her breath hitched when his face neared her own. Her brain threw her another blank… good for nothing asshole brain!   
"You don’t have to do this. I understand,“ his voice was just a whisper near her ear. “It’s a scary situation. You can leave.”   
She shook her head, eyes wide. How could he say that when it was about her being targeted?   
“How?” She whispered back, surprised about how steady her own voice sounded, considering how scared she was right now. Why couldn‘t she just punch her problems away?   
“I’ll think of something. Don’t worry.” Holy fuck, he was actually giving her an opening. She wanted to run and he said she could. And it would be so easy. She could open a bar everywhere! No need to stay in Edge! She would find a way to teach the kids. Cloud could still do his delivery service. He was running all over the world anyway. It did not matter where he opened shop. Or he could stay. That would be fine too even if she would miss him. She could go to Wutai or Rocket Town or maybe even Corel. Marlene would love that. With all of these places she was nearer to a friend. It would be better than the loneliness in the big city, right?  
  
But it would also mean to let down the people of Edge, leaving them to the Mafia and ultimately ShinRa.  
Fuck.  
FUCK!  
She could not run. She would never forgive herself if she did not look this through. The longer it took the Turks to find the abducted victims the more people would suffer. And this land, this city, it’s citizens, they have suffered enough. 

She closed her eyes and slowly shook her head, the tension falling from her after the internal battle. The hands that still lay on her shoulders moved around to pull her closer to a light hug. She let it happen because she was tired and it was nice to be held when she felt weak.   
There was a rumble in his chest when he calmly started to whisper again: “If anyone can do this it‘s you. You’re the strongest woman alive.”   
She huffed a laugh at that compliment. It sure did not feel like it but it was okay, she could endure some stupidity and teasing in the name of doing the right thing. Tifa could be a hero once more. Even without the punching for now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> RPF is weird. Don't do that.


	13. Errands

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> day 30 - Wednesday
> 
> Tseng appears!

Elena and Tifa went shopping for supplies, no matter how much Elena disapproved of the fact that it meant that Tifa went outside. Tifa told her that if the Mafia was coming for her it would not be at the Market in broad daylight. Not when they tried to infiltrate and gather information so much. It was actually more likely that they would get her on her way to or from the gym. Fact was that they needed ingredients for the snack plates but Tifa had also decided to try what Reno had suggested: selling other foods and meals. Tifa wanted to try stew, scrambled eggs or sausages. A new waitress had brought in new patrons, maybe more food variety would bring others in too? Right now she had help and money to spare so it was worth a shot.

Around Midday they left the house. Tifa (as always) had her gloves and the Materia in her pocket. Elena had a gun hidden under her coat. They walked to the nearby market. Again, Tifa was glad to have actual help with her to go shopping. When Cloud was home he was staying mostly at the house, working through his papers or spending time with the kids. Or he would visit the church or Zacks grave. And as much as Marlene and Denzel tried, they were still children and they didn’t particularly enjoy going to the market to shop for vegetables.   
But with Elena, Tifa could actually ask her opinion about which pumpkin she should buy.   
“This one,“ Elena knocked on the fruit.   
“Very good,“ Tifa paid the vendor and they continued to the next, Tifa rattling off what else they needed for a chocobo-soup with vegetables and Elena starting to collect the ingredients. They were finished early enough to do a little bit of window shopping too, while treating themselves to a sweet drink, actually talking about a cute dress in one of the shops. Like regular friends having a nice day out.   
They were on their way back when a dark limo stopped beside them, the second car door opening, revealing a man in a dark suit with black slicked back hair. Of course.   
“Ladies, can I offer you a ride?”   
“Tseng!” Elena's eyes went wide and then she turned from the car to Tifa, who carefully rebalanced the basket on her arm. Well, they each were carrying a basket and two jute bags with groceries. Getting a ride would be nice but Tifa wasn’t sure if she wanted to talk to Tseng. Finally she shrugged: “Sure.”   
The driver got out of the car to help them to put the bags in the trunk. They then got in the limo. Tifa had never been in such a spacious car before. She looked around in surprise. Was there a bar decorated with wooden inlays?  
“Take us a bit around the block!” Tseng ordered the driver when he returned to the drivers seat again.   
“All right, boss.”   
“Elena, looking good,” Tseng nodded to her and she immediately sat up even straighter, looking like he had just gotten a treat. Tifa knew that look. Elena was still hooked on Tseng. Poor girl.  
“Miss Lockhart,” Tseng started. “How are you faring? I hope Elena is no disturbance?”   
Tifa frowned. She wasn’t used to such formalities. But so far she hadn’t had much interaction with Tseng. She had no idea who he was as a person. Being a Turk meant that he was devoted to his fellow Turks and Rufus, which was honorable. But she had seen him strike down Aerith and their interaction in the temple. But then he had also given them the keystone, he had helped to evacuate people from Midgar while Meteorfall and had fought the Remnants. She was actually surprised he was still alive, considering what Elena had told her. 

“Elena is a big help. She has a knack for working at a bar. I’d gladly keep her if you guys don’t need her anymore.”  
Elena bristled in excitement with the compliment.   
“Well, for now and quite some time in the future we need her talents. But I’m glad to hear she is doing a good job. And how are you faring?”   
“I’m fine. Stressed. Considering that the Mafia is after me. Do you guys know why?”  
Tifa actually wondered how much Tseng knew, if Rude was able to hold contact with him.   
“We think they want to abduct you to fight in illegal cage fights.”  
She nodded. That pretty much was the same Rude had told her. Elena gasped. Seemed like it had been news to her.   
“What else? Is there anything I can do to help you people?”   
“You’re doing enough with being the bait even if so far it does not seem like they are on the move.”  
“I see. Do you have any leads?”  
“We have managed to plant some people on the inside and they were already able to give us a lot of information about the size and the structure as well as names of high ranked family members. We also found branches in other towns, planting more of our people.”   
Tifa’s eyes grew wide: “What about…?”   
“The children, Strife and Wallace are safe. They are travelling right now, meeting old friends. As I am informed they are on their way to Rocket Town. Also they are under surveillance. They are safe.”   
"Thanks…,“ Tifa exhaled in relief and stared out of the window to collect herself.   
“Tseng, what about Rude?” Tifa didn’t look up but she could hear the strain in the other woman's voice.   
“He is also undercover, doing an important job.”   
“Where is he?”  
“Elena, you know I won’t tell you,” his voice got sharper. Tifa scrunched her nose a bit. The first question was probably only answered because he understood the worry of the other Turks.   
“Ms. Lockhart,” she turned again, looking the Turk leader straight in the eyes. “I heard about your new involvement. Is he… adequate?”   
Both of her eyebrows rose. Tseng probably had it figured out who her mysterious boyfriend is because he knew Rudes assignment. Elena stared like Tseng had just asked Tifa if her boyfriend is an alien.  
“Yes. Adequate. He helps to…,“ she had no idea where she was going with that sentence.“… keep me occupied?“  
Elena’s head snapped to Tifa her whole face that of confusion and disbelief. It was actually hilarious. But this was not the right time to laugh. "He helps me to train. I already feel a bit stronger. Yesterday's sparring was… really good. So he really is adequate and it also keeps my mind off the fact that the Mob is after me.“  
Tseng nodded: "Good to hear.“  
Tifa wondered what the real intention behind the question was.   
Elena shook her head and then added to the conversation again: "Some of our people tried to tail him but were unsuccessful. We also couldn‘t find out who he is, what his job is or where he is from.“  
"I see. That is suspicious,“ Tseng sounded downright annoyed. "Continue to tail him but don‘t interfere. We don‘t want to disturb Ms. Lockharts romance, after all.“  
Okay. Tseng didn‘t seem to like the idea of Tifa and Rude working together. She wondered why? She was helping after all… 

Moments later the car stopped near the 7th Heaven and Tseng nodded to the two women.   
"Elena, see you soon. Ms. Lockhart I‘d like to talk to you for another moment.“  
Once more Elena glanced from Tseng to Tifa and then nodded in affirmation.   
"Until next time, Sir. See you in a second, Tifa,“ with that she got out and took care of the groceries in the trunk. 

Tseng turned back to Tifa who suddenly felt like in school again but she hadn‘t done her homework and now was going to be scolded: "Ms. Lockhart,…“  
"Please call me Tifa,“ seriously no need make this scenario stricter than necessary.   
He halted for a second.  
"Tifa…,“ he seemed to test the name and accepted it after a second. "Please be aware that Rude is doing a job. He is gathering information and that is his first priority. Keeping you safe is not part of that plan. That is the mission of Elena and some Rookies.“  
Tifa nodded. She was aware. Not that she needed any more protection in her opinion. Also, so far Rudes first priority had been to secure his cover, most he had done was to tell her to be careful. And Tifa understood the importance of this mission. Tseng continued fast with a low voice: "There is a reason he was chosen and your attendance was only a coincidence. For now it seems like it is working but please try to not distract him.“  
Again Tifa nodded, almost feeling like she had been caught doing something forbidden, even if she wasn’t sure how the hell she should distract Rude, Mr. Superfocused.   
Tseng moved to give her a folded piece of paper.   
"But I‘ll use the fact that you‘re in contact with him. Please give him this.“  
Tifa unfolded it but only saw rows of numbers.   
"I don‘t have contact with him at the moment but this will give him a way to do that and report.“  
Again she nodded.  
"Also, this is my number,“ he gave her another piece of paper. "Please feel free to call if either of you need assistance. You are in the possession of Reno and Elenas numbers?“  
And another nod. It was fascinating how he could make people feel like they were just stupid kids. She figured she could understand Elena and her wish for validation a little bit better now.  
"Good. Then thank you for your help. You are dismissed.“

Tifa blinked and looked up and then guffawed: "Okay. Wow. No problem.“  
He looked irritated and almost angry.  
Tifa tried her best to calm down: "I‘m sorry. But you sound so much like my old school teacher and I guess it makes sense… but it was just so hilarious right now and… really, thank you for everything,” she nodded towards him with a bright smile and his own features smoothed out a bit. “I’ll do my best and try not to distract your model student,” she shook her head. “You know, come visit the bar with the rest when this is over.”  
And with that she exited the limo, to find Elena waiting and looking very irritated at Tifa’s joyful expression.

They walked in the house, groceries already brought inside and soon started to prepare everything for the soup and to open the bar. Elena even laughed along a bit, when Tifa told her about her impression of Tseng. But she rolled her eyes at Tifa declaring her a teacher's pet and Reno a delinquent.   
"If anyone is a teacher's pet, it Rude!“ Elena huffed, cutting the carrots with a bit too much force.  
"Seriously? When he is constantly dragged around by the delinquent while you are mostly hanging around the teacher? No, no. You‘re the teacher's pet. Rude is… I don‘t know…“  
"Aw shit. You‘re right,“ the blond groaned. “I can’t believe you’re right!”  
It was fun to tease her while they worked, Elena cutting vegetables and Tifa starting to add ingredients, trying to convince the female Turk to buy the yellow dress they had seen to wear in summer.   
It really had been a fun day. 

In the evening the pot with soup was empty way too fast but it had been a good test and Tifa had made a profit. She should really consider doing this regularly. The only regret she had was Renos smugness about how he had told her so!   
So, as a ‚thank‘ you she served him a bowl and also in hopes to shut him up. Instead he once more told her that she should totally cook with Rude when he was back. 

Even later, when she finally stepped into the training room and spotted Rude she started to laugh again, her memories flooding back to her meeting with Tseng and everything after that. She still chuckled when she started to stretch.

"Everything Okay?“ He did look a bit suspicious.   
“Yes…yes. I had a good day. it’s just…,“ she halted for a bit. "An old acquaintance told me today how important it is to not distract my sparring partner. There is a job to be done, after all,” she stretched her whole body and winked at him. Rude huffed and it sounded almost like a laugh.   
“I see. Then let’s do the job.”   
The rest of the training went smooth, more relaxed and focused because they really had a job to do. Also Tifa had decided to do everything possible in her power for this operation to be a success. She would not allow anyone to risk it. Not herself. Not Rude. Not any Turk or any of their hidden enemies. There were lives at stake after all. After their training, ready to say goodbye, she stepped towards Rude and slipped him the folded piece of paper in the inner pocket of his jacket, while giving him a kiss on the cheek, blushing a bit, hoping she wasn‘t overstepping or distracting already.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do you sometimes remember almost nothing about a character except that you didn‘t like them? I had that with Tseng but I read a bit about him and I guess there is more to him than being an asshole?  
I also think that Elena has a lot of potential as a character. And the dynamic between those two could be really interesting to explore.  
Another time, another fic. Maybe
> 
> Last note for today: SEVEN KUDOS! wow. Honestly, it‘s more than I thought. The fandom still seems to only slowly wake up and Tifa/Rude is not the most popular ship so... I‘m happy.


	14. Personal Space

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (Day 31 - Thursday)
> 
> UST ahead

Tifa felt tired but still looked forward to training. There had been some commotion in the bar. A whole group of young men had simultaneously hit on Elena, even tried to get grabby with her and she had been overwhelmed with the attention, trying her best to keep herself from getting too violent. Tifa had then taken over the table, not giving them any more alcohol, causing them to become annoyed. But she was having none of it. Neither did Reno who had started to threaten the guys who still did not leave the blond Turk alone, going after her to the bar. They didn’t dare to cross him, being very obviously a Turk, but the suitors had soon started to fight each other instead and both Tifa and Reno had to knock out half of them, throwing the rest out. 

It had been bad and Elena had been devastated. She probably never had that much male attention and no experience how to react to it. She would not stop apologising no matter how often Tifa had told her that it wasn’t Elenas fault, that she was the victim here.   
Tifa left Reno to do the calming down of his friend, sending them both into the kitchen. It wasn’t like she didn’t want to help Elena but she still had to manage the evening crowd. The mood stayed foul though. Tifa figured that it was mostly the fault of the hidden Turks who were angry they couldn‘t help being undercover. She didn’t really know which of her patrons were the rookies and which weren’t. Not that it mattered. Two hours later Tifa closed the bar, cleaned up and finally walked in the kitchen. 

“How are you holding up?“   
Elena was furiously scrubbing the inside of one of the cupboards, while Reno sat across from her on the table, sipping on a beer.   
“I’m good,“ she answered. “I’ll be more careful from now on.“  
“Elena,…“ Tifa shook her head starting to tell her again it wasn’t her fault.   
“Stop it, Tifa! I let my guard down! That is unacceptable. It won’t happen again. Next time I’ll throw them out immediately,“ Elena had sat up and stared at Tifa with determination.   
Tifa looked from Elena with surprised eyes to Reno who shrugged. Tifa shook her head in confusion. So it wasn’t about the male attention but she was angry about how she handled the situation? Tifa wasn’t sure she would ever understand these people.   
“All right. I’ll go to the gym. I see you later… or tomorrow. Reno, should I let you out?“   
“Yeah, sure. See you tomorrow, Lena.“

Tifa grabbed her sports bag and left the bar to then lock the door after Reno had followed her outside. She looked over to the redhead, unsure how to progress.   
“Thank you for your help earlier. Is Elena really okay?“  
Again Reno shrugged: “She will be. She will beat herself up for a couple of hours, your kitchen will be cleaner than ever before, but she will come out of it stronger, yo. I don’t know how exactly she does that but I guess it’s some kind of mental training.“   
“Impressive,“ for a moment Tifa looked at nothing and then turned. “And worrisome. I’ll go now. The gym is in that direction.“  
“I know,“ and with that Reno fell in step next to her, causing her to glance at him with irritation. “Don’t worry I’ll only accompany you until I reach my ride.“   
They walked a bit in silence until the Turk started to talk again: “You still see that gym-dude?“   
“Yeah, he helps me train.“  
“Do you even like him?“   
She sighed: “Reno, I don’t know why you always ask about my love life but in case you are trying to find out if I’m available… you are not my type and I’d rather date a Tonberry than you.“  
“Ouch! That is really harsh, yo! But no. It’s not about me. Anyway, as long as you’re happy it’s fine but you don’t seem… happy. So… I wonder why you suddenly find a boyfriend when your life is so… different at the moment. Just seems a bit strange.“  
Tifa stared in front of her, trying to find a reasonable way out of this conversation.   
“The fact that I might not seem happy is part tiredness, part that I miss my family and part that my life has… well… taken an unexpected turn. And I am aware that the timing is kinda suspicious but it‘s not like I am happy about that too. So, if I’d bring him more in my life right now, it would become even more complicated… of course I don‘t seem happy in general. But he is understanding.“  
“It‘s serious?“  
Tifa sighed: “Yes. We are marrying next month when it‘s finally spring. After that we‘ll move out of the city and find ourselves a little cottage to farm. We‘ll have four children and they all will become martial arts champions and farmers.“ She raised her eyebrows at Reno and nodded enthusiastically: “Our eldest son will be called Reno Junior because you are such a good family friend.“  
“You look so nice but you‘re such an asshole,“ still he chuckled while shaking his head.  
“I've been ‘dating‘ him for not even a week and we had one real date. It‘s just fun so far. It’s nice to have a sparring partner and someone who is not… involved,“ these lies became more and more complicated. Sometimes Tifa wished she could just tell the Turks that she was ‘not-really seeing’ Rude.   
“Well, if you‘re into blown up guys who visit gyms that is your problem. But be aware that he probably has a small penis and is really self absorbed!“  
Tifa chuckled at that: “Thanks for your worry but I‘m sure he‘s… fine. As I mentioned before, he‘s a perfect gentleman,“ not that she knew anything about the size of Rudes penis with him wearing loose pants for training and probably something tighter under it to keep everything neatly in place. But he was clearly not self-absorbed. Not at all. He was almost caring even if very neutral in his expressions.  
Tifa saw the neon sign of the gym now and Reno was still walking with her.  
“Gentleman is code for boring. And a small penis.“  
She sighed again.   
“Where is your transportation?“  
“Oh. Over there,“ he pointed towards a small alley right beside the gym.  
“You‘re kidding, right?“  
“No.“  
Tifa groaned again and they crossed the last few meters in silence. In front of the gym he finally nodded to her: “Anyway, I bid you a good night. Take care, yo!“ Reno walked up to his nearby motorcycle and soon drove off. 

She watched him leave, wondering what the heck his problem was. She was used to him trash talking Cloud and some of her other friends for one reason or another but a man he had never met? Maybe she would need to ask Rude or Elena about this. With a huff she continued into the gym.

Upon arriving, Shelly was grinning at her: “Who was that?“  
“How have you…,” Tifa turned to see the solid door and a wall.   
“We have a camera outside. Since yesterday, for security reasons. So, who is he?”  
“A… an old acquaintance and a regular at the bar, who thought it would be dangerous for me to walk alone,“ Tifa fished for her member card and felt the light panic subdue. Only since yesterday. Another camera to be aware of.  
“He‘s cute. Do you think I could get his number?“  
“Eh, sure. Buy him a drink and ask for it.“  
“If he‘s a regular at your place why haven‘t I seen him before?“  
“Good question,“ the barmaid thought about it for a bit. “Ah! He comes in around two hours before I close. You’re already at work at that time.“  
“Aw, pity,“ the girl stared at the screen while scanning the card and then giving it back. “It‘s so nice of him to walk you. So gentlemanly… Is he strong?“  
“Well, he is not weak,“ suddenly Tifa had an idea. “Do you know how gentlemen are? It is said they are boring and that they have a small penis. You don‘t want that.“  
“What?“  
“I‘m joking but he sure does overcompensate a lot. And he is kind of self-absorbed too.“  
“Damn.“  
Tifa shrugged: “Not the best catch. See you later.“ For a moment Tifa wasn‘t sure if she meant Shelly or Reno in this case, not trusting either.  
“Yeah, later. Oh! Your boyfriend is already here.“  
“Thanks,“ Tifa smirked and walked to the locker room to change. 

It had been four days since their trip to the club and every evening they had trained. And beside the real reason for why they were doing this, it was actually a lot of fun and really fruitful for her shape and strength. She hadn‘t lied to Tseng about that.  
They could don safety gear and punching mitts and give the other a chance to use more force than against the box sack, training agility and stamina. Even if it was her in the offensive more often than not. She needed the training way more anyway. He had never been out of shape like her.

Plus, she could hardly believe it but Reno had been correct again, Rude was a great teacher. There was the fact that he was a very experienced fighter, who knew and understood her style and could give her adequate feedback, careful correction of her pose included. Light touches while fighting, while warming up. Tifa fought back a blush, remembering that while slipping into a tank top for training. So much for distraction.  
Well, fighting and training included body contact. Them acting as a couple too. It was normal. It helped their story. Still, her body reacting to the light stimulation was frustrating and a bit confusing. The problem was him distracting her, honestly. He didn‘t seem affected at all so really, Tsengs warning had been addressed to the wrong person. 

Tonight she just hoped she would perform well enough after the stressful evening. She had almost skipped but first figured that she should give Elena some space and second she genuinely enjoyed the training with Rude. Of course, only to prepare her for whatever would come her way. Well for at least 80%. Taking her own confusion out of the equation and ignoring the positive effects to her fitness and strength, Tifa had realised that he was genuinely funny in a weird way. He would just act along her own stupid jokes and she had laughed more often in the last three nights than she had anticipated. It was nice. In a weird way. Something she wouldn’t have believed in a 100 years if anyone would have told her. Rude being funny. Anyway she appreciated him more, she could actually relax around him. 

She walked out of the locker room and crossed through the main area and towards the sparring room, greeting some of the other attendants. All of them were tall, strong men. Some of them seemed to be double the size of Rude. But she was sure that both him and her could beat them all in a fight. Tifa couldn’t help but wonder which of them were members of the Mafia.   
Finally entering the training room she saw Rude actually perform a high kick against the box sack. That was rare. He mostly used his fists effective enough. Tifa's brows furrowed while she watched it really did not help her case that he was in fact very attractive. She rolled her eyes at herself. Enough thirst for tonight!   
  
“Hello,“ she finally greeted, starting to do her warm-ups.  
“Hey.“  
Seriously if they were supposed to be a couple they should probably do more than a polite greeting. But it was still hard to do so. They gave each other kisses to the cheek when saying goodbye now but Tifa had never been one for PDA anyway.

After she had finished her warming up she climbed into the ring where Rude already waited for her.  
She still did a few more stretches not feeling it just yet.  
“Are you all right?“  
She looked at him a bit irritated, wondering what had given her away.  
“The cease between your eyes is a bit deeper.“  
Ah. So, he was able to read minds. Or more like her body language. Only after three days, knowing and interpreting her expressions. With any other person it would be downright creepy but she had figured it was just part of him to watch and read people and being less on the expressive side. It worked well with the intimidation tactics he needed for his job. Well, she was good with reading too. She had learned to distinguish some of his neutral faces. Anyway, now she was hoping that her body would not show her other discomfort: “Stress at the bar but it’s nothing. Let’s get started.“   
“Will I be all right?“   
Tifa laughed, nearly losing her balance while doing one more stretch.   
“I’ll try not to let it out on you. You did nothing wrong as much as I’m aware,“ she chuckled.   
He just nodded as an answer. 

Five minutes later he stopped her in her attacks. She had felt it herself, that today she wasn‘t performing at her best.  
“Have you tried meditation or yoga to calm down?“   
“Not since…,“ it took her a moment to remember. “Not since Zangan teached me… and that was over ten years ago.“  
She suddenly felt old.   
He nodded and thought about it a bit.   
“I will show you some basic techniques and figures. You can do them after getting up in the morning. It’s a good way to start the day.“  
“Uhm… sure,“ for a second she wondered if she could take another part out of her sleeping time to do these.   
“A problem?“   
She inhaled and held it a moment, thinking through her normal day, before she exhaled again.   
“Right now with the kids on a holiday it’s different but normally I sleep around three to four hours the night. It might be… hard… to do the exercise after getting up. The schedule is rather strict.“   
He nodded: “Breathing techniques for in-between and a bit of Yoga with your warm-ups.”  
“I guess that should be fine?“

The next half hour he showed her a basic 10 minutes routine with the correct breathing for concentrating and calming down.  
  
It was more exhausting than Tifa would have guessed. And distracting because he was always right beside her and it felt like he was constantly touching her, correcting her posture. Never inappropriate. Always being a perfect gentleman. Still, she tried not to think about the sights the various poses she made did allow. Great moment to become hyper aware about her body while simultaneously that very same body started to crave even more for strong but gentle hands to touch her, irritating her further when she wanted to concentrate. 

Still, she really did her best to memorize the exercises. It really became more and more obvious, that since her childhood in Nibelheim, she had neglected everything but building up speed and power. While her time with AVALANCHE and following Sephiroth she had fought so much that additional training hadn’t been necessary. But if she continued to get in dangerous situations now she would also need to rebuild her perception. Even her stamina was a bit lacking. Hell everything was lacking! Zagan would probably be disappointed. After the second routine she promised to practice it alone tomorrow after her nap and they would do it again in the evening before their workout. 

“Very good,“ Rude finally nodded. She really felt like a student again which was weird and not something she was very fond of considering the weird paths her mind was starting to explore. Maybe she could think about it as private lessons by another student instead… Immediately Tifa stopped that line of thought. This was neither the time nor the place or the right person and most importantly this was real life and not one of those weird romance novels!   
“Are you up for a little sparring?“  
She tried to smile and nodded, glad about the distraction. Time to release some built up energy with violence!  
The sparring was much better now. Not perfect but better. So, the exercise really had some positive effects. At least in the beginning while she felt less distracted and got in a few good punches and kicks, that Rude all managed to block. No surprise there even after the last few training sessions.  
But all the focus went down the gutter when she got near, after a fast attack with her fists, grabbed his shoulders and went with her knee to his side. Instead of blocking it, he hooked one arm under her knee, the other around her middle and lifted her.   
Too surprised to react she looked in his eyes and thought she saw him crack a smile before he threw her off and half a meter away. With a loud “Oof!“ she hit the ground. 

“What was that?“ she lifted herself up on her elbows.  
“I value my personal space,“ he shrugged.  
“Are you shitting me!? Ahrg!“  
She let herself fall back onto the floor with a huff trying not to laugh.  
“Don‘t tell me you did that just for the line!“ she glared up to him, not sure it would affect him in any way. He shrugged again which was basically a yes.  
“Oh, fuck you!“ Tifa exclaimed before sitting up muttering: “Personal space, my ass.“ She reached her hand out for him to grab onto so he could pull her up.  
“You’re still not focused. It was to surprise you. You still lack in reading your opponent,” he answered while he pulled her up without much struggle. “I think we also need to work on your defense and your throws.“   
Oh, screw that! She was no beginner! As soon as she was standing in front of him she hooked her leg behind his knee, to pull them from under him, and pushed her upper body into him.  
They both fell but she was on top, straddling him and pressing down onto his shoulders.  
“I think my throws are good,“ she smiled at him, glad that she’d been able to catch him off guard. She had seen the widening of his eyes even if only short because again there was nothing on his face but neutrality, except for that little strain around his mouth that she had now figured was amusement.   
“No,“ while she had been distracted by her own musings, he easily flipped them over, causing her to yelp in surprise. “You don‘t go down with your opponent. A good throw will keep you on foot.“

It wasn‘t really fair how suggestive the whole situation was with her body trapped under him, hands pinned up over her head. Breath ragged, thanks to the spar before and her heart rate speeding up even more. Shiiit. Tifa stared up to him, face really neutral again. He was so near, the tips of their noses almost touching. It wasn’t the first time they had been this close to each other. But this was somehow different. They were not discussing their situation or exchanging information. She could just very easily kiss him. She inhaled lightly, lips parted. Than reality hit her before she did anything stupid: This was not real. Just work! And he was probably thinking the same. Work. Just work. Even if she could only guess what he was thinking. She couldn’t really understand whatever his eyes were showing… But it would make sense right? They were both just acting. So nothing of this could be real. Finally she had to do something: “For someone who values his personal space so much you sure like to invade mine… “   
She only whispered, keeping eye contact. Just banter, right? A joke. And her voice was raspy only because of the spar. Haha. 

His answer died on his lips when a knock to the doorframe caused them both to look over.  
Shelly was awkwardly standing in the door.   
“I‘m sorry to interrupt whatever is going on there but… Rudolph, there is a phone call for you at the front desk. They say it‘s important.“  
“Thanks.“  
Without much ado he stood up and offered Tifa his hand to pull her up too. As soon as she was standing he left the ring, passed Shelly and walked to the front desk.

Immediately Shelly was at the side of the ring staring up at Tifa who squatted down, to get nearer to eye level.  
“Holy shit! Tifa!“  
“Hmmm,“ she showed a strained smile to the woman while her own thoughts were all over the place, heart still hammering. Mostly her mind was shouting at her ‘what the fuck just happened!?’ While another part whispered ‚nothing small on this gentleman‘.  
“I still can‘t believe you two are dating! Amazing!“  
“Yeah. Me neither,“ because they weren‘t. It was make believe. Well, that stunt right now should help the case. And she had to tell her body that this was not real. It had just been too long since she had been with a man. Or herself for that matter.  
“You two are such a cute couple!“  
Again Tifa smiled and answered “Thanks.“ while she screamed in her mind ‘Shut up! This is nothing! Stupid!‘  
“Did you two already…?“  
Tifa shook her head a blush heating up her face, very aware how turned on she was, while in her mind she was still screaming bloody murder at her own body for betraying her. Also they were only ‘dating‘ for a few days.  
“That explains this tension between you two. If I tried I could cut it with a knife. It really is, whoof,“ Shelly started to fan herself.  
“I‘m sorry. I wasn‘t aware. We‘ll be more careful if it‘s distracting…,“ Tifa climbed down out of the ring. The sparring was over for the day so much was clear.  
“Heck, no! This is great! Your energy is incredible! As long as I don‘t find a partner of my own, you two are the best entertainment possible!“  
Now, that was a tad bit weird. Tifa remembered some of the comments Shelly had made the night after the date. And suddenly felt really awkward.  
“I would pay good money to see you fight. Must be very near to watch you two have sex…,“ the woman started to laugh, petting Tifa on the shoulder.  
“I…,“ that was indeed very fucked up. And Tifa wasn‘t sure how to react.   
Before she could come up with an answer Rude stepped back in, closing the distance to the two women. He gave Tifa a small peck on her cheek.  
“I‘m sorry. I have to go. See you tomorrow.“  
The way he acted made her worry. Something was going on.   
“Be careful when you walk home,“ he added. She wondered if there was a special message in those words. That they might try to get her tonight.  
“I always am. See you tomorrow.“

She watched him leave, showing Shelly this smile reserved for every other woman in existence but Tifa (the more she saw it the more she wanted to know why that was), wondering and worrying about what was going on.   
“I‘m going to shower and then head home…“ ‘…cold‘ she added in her mind because she needed to shock her body into obedience. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is the sole reason I'm writing this fic. Not really but yeah. I live for UST! (there will be more).  
Also, Reno cares about his friends. At least in this fanfiction. 
> 
> Anyway, <s>RPF</s> [RPS](https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=RPS) is still weird. Don't do that. Not with famous people and not with friends. (used the wrong term) 
> 
> <s>you can still bet with yourself if I manage to write the M-Rated chapter because I don't know if I will</s>


	15. To meet an old friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 31 - Thursday to Friday night 
> 
> Wait, is that a famous flower selling girl that appears in this chapter?

Worries had kept Tifa from falling asleep when she had finally been home. A whiskey and exhaustion had helped her to finally succumb to slumber.   
But it was very restless and she woke up a couple of times until she finally fell deep enough to start dreaming. The dreams were unsettling too.  
She fought enemies, random ShinRa soldiers, left and right but it never stopped. She kicked one into oblivion and another two appeared. They didn’t hurt her but also always continued. It was exhausting and frustrating and she just wanted it to end. While catching breath she saw Marlene and Denzel in the distance. A cold panic grabbed her and she tried to get to them but there was still this army between them so she tried to call out but they were too far away. A figure appeared beside the kids and first she panicked even more but then recognized Cloud and the kids looked happy. Tifa felt relieved, because they weren’t in danger. Cloud would keep them safe and all the enemies were fighting her, not caring for the kids. She just had to continue to keep them occupied until her family was far away. To the side she saw the church of Sector 5. Now she knew what she had to do, she fought her way through the enemies towards the church, while seeing Cloud bringing the kids away and to safety. For a moment she felt sad but she had to do this.   
She could do it!

When she finally reached the church and fled inside she felt at peace. She knew this place and she knew that her old friend would be here in spirit. It used to be safe and it was safe again.   
“Hey Tifa!“   
“Aerith!?“ It was still a surprise even if it was a pleasant one. Tifa hadn’t really thought she would meet her old friend. She never dreamed of Aerith. Tifa hugged the other girl. Then a thought occurred to her. “Wait… this is not a dream, right? This is… some kind of lifestream thing…,“ Tifa sighed and stepped away from her friend, head down in defeat.  
Aerith laughed: “Does it matter?“   
“Kinda! Yes! A dream is just me. The lifestream… it connects everything.“   
Again Aerith laughed.  
“Don’t be afraid. Everything will be fine!“   
Tifa chuckled along because she believed her friend and it was good to see her again: “I sure hope so. It’s great to see you! We all miss you so much.“  
“I miss you guys too. But we all will be back together again one day,“ Aerith nodded sagely and then a smirk appeared on her face. “Anyway, tell me! You have a boyfriend!?“  
Tifa burst out laughing. Figures that Aerith would appear in her ‚dreams‘ for gossip about men.  
“Not really. It’s all part of a job. We’re fake-dating so the Mafia thinks I’m an easy target and they give Rude more information.“  
“Ohhh… Rude? He’s cute! And soooo mysterious. ShinRa really snags away the cutest boys.“  
Tifa laughed with a frown, crossing her arms in front of her, getting in the defense.  
“He’s not cute and not a boy and it’s still just a job. We are not really dating.“  
“You’re so silly. You obviously like him! I mean listen to yourself! Relax! You can still sort this out when you’re back to safety. Until then, enjoy it.“  
“What do you mean? How am I supposed to enjoy it? I can‘t ‚enjoy‘ anything! Especially if he doesn‘t!? And also, let‘s say I do like him to some extent, how do I know that any of it…,“ she didn‘t even know how to end the sentence. Was real? Made sense? Would be reciprocated? Was more than bodily attraction? Had a future? She just remembered what she had experienced today's training and how it had ended then started to worry again. Oh hush, mind. He was fine.   
“Ugh! You’re a silly, silly girl!“  
“What do you mean? Silly? I’m realistic!“ Tifa snapped, rather irritated now.  
“Look at you worrying! And why do you even think that he does not like you? I say he‘s crazy about you! You’re thinking too much! And it’s hilarious because so is he,” Aerith actually laughed at that and then shook her head. “You’re both so alike.“  
For a second a smile threatened to appear on Tifa's face, humoring the thought of him liking her before she frowned again: "Wait, are you snooping in his mind too?“   
“Not actively. It happens. Sometimes there are a lot of voices. Well, I do keep a closer look around the people I care for. Anyway, you two are a match. And he does like you. Like a lot. Seriously.“  
“But… Noooo …,” Tifa whined because how could any of this be true? She tried again: “I mean…“ She stopped again. Thinking about all the times he didn‘t show any attraction or reaction but always smiled at all the other girls and women… she just couldn’t stop but wonder and worry. It was a good thing that she did not have to talk for Aerith to understand.   
“Do you really expect Rude to openly show his real emotions for you? While he is undercover and worried about your safety? For such a smart woman you’re really stupid,“ Aerith huffed. “All this musing from you two: how much is too much? And does she like me? Does he like me? Did I overstep? I can’t let my feelings get in the way of my job! And what will my friends and family think?“ Aerith gestured wildly and dramatically but finally stepped up and tapped Tifa on her forehead. “Your minds are so loud with stupid questions it’s almost unbearable to watch. But they calm down when you are together. You two just enjoy the moment then. And your hearts speed up because they already know the answer.“  
Tifa flinched a bit. It‘s not even been a week! This couldn‘t really be the case!  
“What answer?“   
“That you’re already crazy about each other. He loves you and you already like him! Next time you see him, kiss him! No more questioning! Be the brave woman that you are!“ Aerith answered with a stern tone and her finger had moved to poke at her chest.   
“I… I can’t…,“ Tifa blushed.   
“I know,“ Aerith sighed in exasperation. "But you really should! Because life is short and you deserve happiness.“   
“Uhm… okay?“ the blush stayed.   
“You won’t really remember this dream, though…,“ the Cetra girl started to pace and tapped her own chin in thought. Finally she shrugged: “Hm, maybe I can help you anyway. In time. It will work out somehow. Hey! Call Yuffie! I’m sure she has some more ideas. And it will lower your worries.“  
“Eh…?“   
Aerith turned again, cradling Tifa’s head between her hands. Green eyes full of earnest emotions and a bit of mischief.  
“You’ll wake up now. You can do this! You’ll be happy in the end. You’re strong and smart and he is completely smitten by you! And your friends and family will support you in your decisions. They love you and want you to be happy! I know I do!“  
With that she gave Tifa a kiss to the forehead and Tifa woke up. 

She looked around the dark room, feeling like she should go find Rude for one reason or another. She groaned and dragged her hands down her face. Maybe she should write him a message. No… she would try her best to get back to sleep, to survive the next day and in the evening she would meet him and see that he was fine and everything would go back to ‘normal’. She turned and tugged her blanket further up.   
Before she closed her eyes she spotted her phone blinking and stood up to look at it. A message from Rude, sent only ten minutes ago. Tifa bit her lip, relief flooding her.  
“Excuse the hasty retreat. Work. See you this evening.“  
He had told her that his phone was given to him by the Mafia and monitored. So, their texts were only brief, mostly to figure out when they would meet at the gym. With fast fingers she answered: “Okay. See you. Sleep well.“  
The answer came almost immediately: “Still awake? Go to sleep!“  
She smiled a bit. Typical. As much as something could be typical after three days.  
“I just woke up. I’ll go back to bed now. Good night!“ After another thought she added. “I look forward to seeing you.“ Before tapping on send. They really should write more flirty if they want to be convincing.   
Then she laid the phone back down and hurried back to the warmth of her bed. Well, he was safe. That was good. She sighed, falling back into a slumber. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't think that is how the lifestream works but...  
Anyway, one of the first impressions of Aerith that I remember and that was always with me is her flirty and confident behavior towards men.  
She would be totally the kind of friend that tells you to finally get over it and ask your crush for a date and berates you if you don't and threatens to tell on them but in the end is nothing but supportive.


	16. Calling another friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 32 - Friday 
> 
> Time for Ninja-Girl!

Tifa was sitting in the kitchen of her home, heating the water for cleaning the dishes while holding her phone to her ear. She had woken up with a need to talk and had decided to finally call Yuffie after breakfast. A friend who was not involved in this messy story. The other side rang five times. For a moment Tifa wanted to put the phone down again, thinking about trying again later but finally she heard someone pick up.   
“Yuffie Kisaragi, speaking.“  
Wow, she sounded almost professional. Tifa laughed before she answered: “Hey, Yuffie. It‘s me, Tifa!“  
“TIFA!“ her voice was suddenly full of happiness. “Hey, everyone! It‘s Tifa!“  
Tifa furrowed her brows but also heard different variations of hello in the background.  
“Where are you?“  
“Right now in Rocket-Town. Oh wait, Marlene wants to speak to you.“  
The phone was handed over and Tifa laughed again then she heard the girls voice pipe up.  
“Tifa! This is so much fun! Dad and I met with Denzel and Cloud! And Rocket-Town is awesome because they do real science here and uncle Cid lets me help with his airship!“  
“Ohhh! That is so cool! Who else is there?“ Tifa cooed.  
“Uhhhh… Me and Dad and Denzel and Cloud and uncle Cid and Shera, Yuffie and Nanaki… and that is all. We flew in uncle Cid's Airship! Yuffie was sick the whole flight!“  
Tifa laughed again. So, almost everyone was there. Missing only Vincent, Reeve and herself.   
“We miss you, Tifa.“  
Tifa smiled a bit sadder: “I miss you too but you will be back soon.“  
“Yah. Denzel wants to talk to you too! See you soon!“  
“Bye! Behave! I love you!“  
Again the phone was handed over and she could hear Marlene shout ,she misses us!‘ and then Denzel's voice: “Hello.“  
“Hey Denzel, how are you doing?“  
“Great! I can light a fire now and Cloud explained the stars to me and how to use them to navigate and I‘ve seen so much. We fought some monster but we defeated them. I used Materia.“  
“That is great! I’m glad you’re having fun. But, Denzel, please be careful okay?“  
“Okay! I‘ll tell you everything when we‘re back!“  
“I look forward to it.“  
“Bye,Tifa!“  
“Bye. I love you!“  
Again Tifa smiled. She really did miss ‘her’ kids.

“Okay, why are you calling my phone?“ she could hear Yuffie’s voice again.  
“I wanted to talk to you…,“ Tifa bit her lip, still waiting for the water to heat up more.   
“Huh?“ the Ninja actually sounded confused for a second.  
“Uhm well about men and such…,“ way to feel shy while talking to a girl four years your junior.  
“Ooohhhh! Dish! No wait! I‘ll go outside! Yo! I‘ll talk to Tifa outside! You guys don‘t cause any trouble without me!“ The last two sentences were obviously not meant for Tifa, who could hear shouting about no one causing trouble in his home with surprising few cuss-words. Maybe Cid was holding back in front of the kids. Married life seemed to do him good.  
“Whatever, old man!“ Yuffie answered with a laugh.   
Tifa then heard her walking, a door opened and closed and still moving a bit while continuing: “Okay, Tifa. Speak. Cloud and Barret didn‘t reveal much yet about what is going on in the big city. But I guess you‘re not calling because of that. You said it’s about men. Are you seeing someone? Finally ready to find a new love?“  
Tifa laughed again. Talking to Yuffie was always fun even if borderline exhausting.  
“Uhm, I’ve been ready for years. It’s not my fault if the men I met weren’t the right ones. But yeah I think I‘m kind of dating someone now?“  
“Kind of? What does that mean? Friends with benefits?“  
“What? No!“ Tifa blushed. Hell they hadn‘t even kissed. Only pecks on the cheek for the camera. “We… we‘re not there yet. And I‘m kind of confused and I don‘t know what he thinks of me. Or what I think of him for that matter?“  
Tifa heard some rustling over the phone indicating that Yuffie had settled down somewhere.  
“Then how are you dating? You know a handshake and longing looks do not count, right? Does HE KNOW you’re dating?“  
“I…,“ how to explain they were fake dating and that Tifa seemed to maybe develop physical feelings for a Turk while also trying not to tell too much because chances were someone heard? “It started with an invitation because I kicked him in the face.“  
Yuffie started to laugh really hard and long. With a smile Tifa poured the hot water in the sink, added soap and the dishes, while waiting for the Ninja to calm down again.  
“That is a great story to tell your children one day. Did he try to hit on you or what happened?“  
A little bit nervous Tifa bit her lip and leaned on the counter.  
“We‘re training at the same gym. One night I decided to go running and ran into a bunch of assholes who thought they could… I don‘t know. Maybe rob me? Anyway, I fought them but one had Materia and they nearly got me but then he appeared and helped me out. The next time we met he offered to help me train and while I did a high kick I hit his face. The next night we went to a club where he is working as a bouncer. It was nice … that was a week ago.“  
“Holy shit!“ Yuffie was silent for a few minutes. Then she added: “Did you dance?“  
“Yeah, kinda,“ Tifa remembered the slow dance and the distance he had kept then and how near he had been yesterday.  
“Stop being vague! How was it?“  
“He is a good dancer… it‘s just weird because he seemed distant and…,“ she halted.  
“Hmm?“  
“… I mean the girls at his work are all hitting on him. And I get it, he's a real gentleman. Holding the door open, never overstepping… but he… it‘s just weird. They are all leering at him,“ Tifa sighed.  
“Heh. You’re jealous. Is he hot?“  
“I’m not jeal… wait,” for a second Tifa was startled. Every other woman had asked if he was cute which was more about the whole package but asking if he was hot made it more physical. And that was easy to answer.  
“Goddess, yes! He is hot! He looks REALLY good in his work-out clothes. And he‘s strong and tall and has warm eyes. Very hot! And probably good in bed…,“ Tifa added like an afterthought and then blushed, facepalming.   
“Do you have a picture to send?“  
Tifa laughed: “No!“  
“How do you know he‘s good in bed? Gentlemen are more prone to be boring and to have a small penis.“  
Tifa stopped dead in her tracks: “Have you talked to Reno recently?“  
“No. Not since the last time I was in Edge and met the Turks by chance. Fun night. A lot of drinking. But yeah I think we talked about stuff like that back then. Mostly to annoy Elena and Rude.“  
Ah. Tifa remembered when the Turks had brought a very wasted ninja girl back to 7th Heaven. Or more like Rude had carried both Reno and Yuffie, while Elena had stumbled along.   
“Anyway, what makes you think he is good in bed?“ Yuffie insisted.  
“Well…,“ Tifa thought to find reasons mostly to figure out where that had come from anyway. "We‘re training together, there is a lot of body contact so I felt a few things, he has a lot of control over his body, is very considerate and even if his penis was small, which I am sure is not the case,“ she remembered yesterdays training session and sighed, "… even if… he has very large hands. And considering that he can kill with them he can also be surprisingly gentle.“  
She sighed again. Goddess, she was swooning over Rude. She was glad no one could see her red face.  
Yuffie giggled: “Oh geez, Tifa. You have it bad. What is your problem? Go for it!“  
“You don’t understand! Yes there is the physical attraction but I don‘t know if he even remotely likes me back or if it‘s more than just physical! I mean he is really nice and when I felt weird in the club he was worried and he always wants me to be safe but whenever I try to be flirty to test the waters he is not reacting. AT ALL! Like his face is an empty mask. But he smiles at every other girl that talks to him. But it’s fun to train with him and yesterday our sparring got… almost teasing! Maybe I should have kissed him… He was literally lying on top of me! But I‘m not sure he would have liked that at all! He is impossible to read!“ Tifa groaned frustrated, fisting into her hair and for the moment not caring whoever might listen while she ranted on.  
“You should absolutely kiss him. While you have sex with him.“  
“What?!“  
“Get the sexual tension out of the way and see what remains. I do it all the time. Works great.“  
“I… I can‘t… seriously? You are doing that? All the time?“  
“Yeah. I mean not ALL the time but I‘m still young and I want to have fun before I have to stay in Wutai. When that time comes I can‘t just fuck off and do whatever. So, the third date is the charm. We‘ve come this far, I have my way with them and either I call them again or don‘t. Depending on how much I still like them. Maybe I‘ll find a spouse along the way, maybe not. At least I didn‘t waste my time and had some fun.“  
“Wow,“ Tifa felt dumbfounded. Yuffie really had grown up.   
The younger woman laughed out loud: “I mean you don‘t have to do that since it is not your style. You obviously like this man and you are already invested but before it becomes more serious, take him on a test ride.“  
“Uh, I don‘t… I don‘t think…“  
“Oh, Tif. There you are, alone in the big city, the house to yourself for two weeks and you‘re not even asking your maybe boyfriend over!?“  
“I‘m not alone…“  
“Uhh, what?“   
If it weren‘t so serious Tifa would laugh at the weird tone of the question.  
“A girl is working at the bar and she is sleeping in the guest room,“ she did not say that it was Elena.  
“You‘re joking, right?“  
“No,“ Tifa bit her lip. It was weird that she got berated by a 20 year old but it sure sounded like Yuffie had much more experience.  
The answer was a loud suffering groan that actually made Tifa laugh.  
“I want to hit you so hard right now. Anyway take a hotel room or go to his place and FUCK HIM. That is my advice. Even if he is not your one true love he sure sounds like a nice plaything! You can‘t lose!“  
“I‘m not sure… “  
“Well, I won‘t have anything else to say… besides, if you don’t let him go down on you I’m very disappointed, young lady! What did you say his name was?“  
“W… what?“ Tifa laughed at the condescending tone in Yuffie's voice and then shook her head to clear her mind. "I didn‘t tell you his name.“  
“Why? Do I know him?“  
Tifa felt a slight panic creep up on her.  
“No…?“  
“So I do! It‘s not Reeve, is it? Nah he's not into you and I‘m sure Vince is not your type either. Also warm eyes is the wrong way to describe him…“  
“Are you keeping tabs on everyone's love life?“  
“Not everyones… can’t be some rando from the bar, they are not worth remembering… it’s not one of your exes, is it? No you wouldn’t make such a fuss then… that would be another fuss… wait… nooooo… or…?,“ Tifa's eyes grew wide at Yuffie's tone. “Don‘t tell me it‘s a Turk…“  
“WHAT!? NO!!“ Tifa closed her eyes and again she facepalmed. She had screwed up with that reaction.  
“HOLY FUCK! TIFA!!“ At least Yuffie didn‘t sound angry but highly amused.   
“No! He is from Costa del Sol. He only recently came to Edge! He works as a bouncer!“  
“Sure…,“ the smugness was unbearable. “You don’t want to say his name...Tall and kinda distant. Practices Martial Arts. Never heard or seen THAT one before.“   
“Listen, Yuffie… this is a true story and I beg you to believe me,“ Tifa started to pace in distress, hoping that no one had tapped in her line, she glanced at the door, Elena nowhere to be seen. She shouldn’t have called at all.   
There was silence on the other side of the phone. Yuffie was smart. She would understand to some extent.  
“Okay. I believe you. I‘m glad for you.“  
“Thank you,“ Tifa sighed in relief.   
“But I still stay with my advice. Have sex with him!“  
“I won‘t do that!“  
“With the way you described his hands? Your loss,“ Yuffie snickered.   
“Right…,“ Tifa sighed because Yuffie was right. Tifa actually wanted that. Even if she hated herself for it.  
“Listen…,“ the younger girl sounded suddenly very serious. “I‘m not good with the emotional stuff… maybe you should call Shera because she got Cid to be more stable but… I think you like this guy. A lot. And you‘re normally really good at knowing who to trust. And then there is the fact that… I‘m pretty sure he likes you too but just struggles to show it… maybe because of… his profession or something.“  
Tifa let that sink in: “Thank you… again.“  
“No problem. Keep me updated. And… oh yeah! We‘ll all come to visit at the end of the next week!“  
“Oh!“  
“Yupp! Get enough alcohol!“  
“Yuffie, I own a bar.“  
“Still! Hear ya real soon!“ 

Before Tifa could say her goodbyes there was a beeping sound in the line, indicating that Yuffie had ended the call.  
Tifa huffed. Well, now Yuffie knew. She wouldn‘t tell any of the guys. That much was clear. With a sigh, Tifa finally started to do the dishes, a smile tugging on the corner of her mouth. It was a good feeling to share the secret. And maybe Yuffie was right. Maybe it was just the situation that kept him from responding in likeness. But what if Tifa only felt what she felt because of the situation? She groaned, hiding her face in her wet hands. Goddess, she was so stupid! What if nothing of this was real? Just stress manifesting in lust? Great. Now her face was wet. Why was this so complicated?   
With another huff she dried her face with a dishrag and finally finished up. Then she went down to the bar to talk to Elena about today's work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know I think Yuffie would enjoy her youth after all the mess. As long as she is free to do so and she won't take shit from anyone.


	17. Second date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 34 - Sunday Night

“Enough for today,“ Rude had glanced up to the clock, seeing that it had turned 01:00 am and stepped back, relaxing his stance. Rude had requested to double their training time from one to two hours, Tifa had agreed and was thankful because the training was great. She could feel the improvement with the extra workout even if there was still space for more. But it was also very exhausting after the long days and most importantly only possible thanks to Elenas help in the bar. 

The last twenty minutes had been especially hard. Tifa had been in the defense and Rude hadn’t held back while attacking. No easy session for her. He really pushed but also tried not to overexert her. The tighter training schedule had most certainly the same cause as to why Rude was more tense in general and even more tight lipped. If that was possible. And that did affect her too, causing mistakes which caused more tension. They may be only fake dating but having met up with him every day had given her some insight. Well, she had always been especially good with catching on other people's distress. Barret had called it motherly instincts, wanting to keep her family safe and in harmony. Back then she had laughed about that.   
Either way Tifa figured that Rudes distress had to do with whatever he was doing for the Mafia and that it probably involved her too but it was almost impossible to talk. A ‘second date’ hadn‘t happened because they couldn‘t find the time. Every evening since the first call, four days ago, he had been called away after their training and she worried about him whenever she had a calm minute until they met again on the next day.  
Seriously, a real relationship couldn‘t be as stressful. Certainly less dangerous.

Still, it helped Tifa to keep herself in check. The stress and worry of whatever was going on drowned out any other urges. The exhaustion helped too.   
“Why are you not out of breath?“ Tifa had to lean down, hands on her knees, suddenly feeling the impact of the tension falling off and trying to willing her muscles to relax. She really had been more out of it than she had ever thought.  
“I am,“ he walked to the side to grab one if the bottles with water he had prepared.  
“Sure. If you say so,“ with a huff she let herself fall in a tailor seat.  
“No! No sitting down. You know that.“  
“Screw that,“ she even let herself fall down on her back. “I‘m done!“  
“You are if you don‘t get up.“  
“Uhhhrg. Just carry me into the shower and turn on the water. I‘ll figure out the rest.“  
“You‘d drown. I‘d have to stay with you.“  
Tifa laughed, teasing: “What a nice thought…“   
“What makes you think you‘d enjoy it?“  
“That… that is actually worrisome. Remind me again why I am dating you? Maybe I have to reconsider.“  
He squatted down beside her, to pat her lightly on her arm causing her to shuffle away a bit. “Let‘s finish up. I have some time tonight. We will go for a coffee.“  
“Well, if you insist. At least that sounds more enjoyable than whatever you had planned for the shower, “ Tifa let him help her up. Still she groaned. Her whole body ached. She would have a couple of blue and green spots on her arms and legs and need a potion later.   
“Nothing evil. Just a cold shower,“ he stepped behind her to start massaging her shoulders. Tifa flinched a bit but it actually felt great, a happy sigh escaped her. The warmth of his hands alone helped her to relax.  
“And then you say ‚nothing evil‘,“ Tifa huffed but with a smile.   
“Let‘s meet at the front in fifteen minutes. I know a 24 hour Diner,“ he stopped the massage and lightly squeezed her shoulders.  
“I'll be there.“

Before they even left the room Shelly was there with an apologetic smile.   
“Hey, sorry. Phone for you, Rudolph.“  
“Oh, come on!“ Tifa whined. “Can‘t you just tell them to go fuck themselves?“ she asked towards Rude. Only like 50% was acted. She really wanted them to go fuck themselves. Not without pride she could see the faintest strain of a smile on his face.  
“You know I can‘t.“  
“Yeah, I know. I‘m off to shower. I wish you a good night,“ with that she leaned up, kissed him on his cheek and left the room with a sigh. Before Tifa was completely out of earshot she could hear Shelly say “… so considerate!“ while they walked to the front desk to answer the phone.  
Yeah, considerate. It was honestly annoying because Tifa had hoped to get some more information. If the Mafia wanted Rude to get into her pants they should give him the chance to! That was just bad planning on their account. Meeting for two hours per day could not be called dating!   
Her fake love life was fucked up she figured while drying her hair after the shower.  
Considerate… she wondered if she would have reacted differently if she didn‘t know what was going on? She sighed. Probably not. She had a history of waiting after all. 

She sighed again, finished up and slowly walked to the front desk, tired and ready to call it a day, slipping on her coat.   
To her surprise Rude was waiting there, holding his hat and jacket, and with a smile she hurried to him and hugged him. Totally acted of course.  
Shelly ‘aww‘d’, watching them. And Tifa felt his arms close around her. After a few seconds she looked up to him: “What is going on? Why are you still here?“  
“I got the rest of the night off. They only need me tomorrow morning.“  
“Awesome! Let‘s go! Good night, Shelly!“ With that she took a hold of his hand and dragged him out. “Where is that Café you talked about?“  
“This way,“ he tugged her in the correct direction.   
They easily fell into the same pace beside each other. Tifa ignored the fact that they were still holding hands. Rude had donned his hat which made weird things to his silhouette but would effectively keep him anonymous. Tifa would forever be fascinated by that fact.   
“So, they called you to tell you that you don’t have to work tonight?“   
He nodded. Weird, maybe they not only watched through the cameras but also listened in, having heard their plans and gave them a bit more time.   
“I guess it is lucky. We can finally have our… wow… our second date.“   
“I hope you like breakfast late at night.“   
“I never tried.“ 

Five minutes later they stood in front of a closed diner. The “Out of Business“ sign in the front window.  
“Hm…,“ Rude didn’t really show his disappointment while Tifa started to chuckle: “Of course. And now?“   
He shrugged.   
“All right, let’s walk a bit. Heel!“ She tugged him along again.   
“I’m no dog.“  
Tifa laughed: “I’m aware. But I’m sure you could pull off puppy dog eyes if you wanted to.“   
It took him a few steps before he answered: “You often think about stuff like that?“  
“I… no… I mean… not often,“ she pursed her lips a bit, looking up at him. “I just wanted to continue the joke but it’s still true. You could pull it off.“   
“If so then better hope I never use it on you,“ he nodded.  
Again Tifa laughed: “Yeah. I could never object to you. You would be too powerful!“  
“I promise I’ll only use it responsibly.“ 

They were slowly walking without any destination. Their banter had ceased, after the atmosphere around them had changed. Once more they had become aware that they were constantly followed. Either by Turks or the Mafia. What had felt like a normal relationship only moments ago was now harsh cold reality again. Sometimes footsteps could be heard in the distance. It was eerie in the otherwise empty and silent streets, only every few street lamps working. Rude released Tifa’s hand and laid his arm around her shoulders. He then leaned down a bit to whisper in her ear: “They’ll try to get you soon.“  
In an attempt to be able to answer better, Tifa draped her arm around the back of his upper body in a semi half-hug. Her head leaned near his neck and he pulled her closer towards his body. An awkward position for walking but it made the romance more believable and it gave them a chance to talk more secure. Also it was warmer.   
“What makes you think that?“  
“They‘ll act before Soldier-boy comes home. They are preparing something.“  
Of course. They would fear Cloud and he would be back soon, so they had to make a move.  
“Do you know where they bring their victims?“  
“Not yet,“ there was a strain in his voice and Tifa looked up at him, the urge to help becoming suddenly very strong.  
“What do you need? More time? I could call…“  
He shook his head.   
“The problem is they don‘t trust me yet.“  
That made sense and was weird at the same time. He‘d been a member of the Mafia for only a couple of weeks. Heck, she sometimes wondered if she really trusted him (even if for completely different reasons and beside her confusing emotions) and they were working together. But they also did give him special jobs so…   
“Then what can we do so they will trust you?“  
He seemed to consider something and came to a conclusion after an inner debate.  
“I have coffee at home. And no noisy roommate. Will you stay at my place for the night?“ his voice was silent but for anyone listening in loud enough.  
It took her a moment before she understood what he meant. Well, yeah sure. Of course. If they hooked up he would seem more serious about his job. For a moment she remembered Yuffie and her ‚three dates rule’. Rude and her had one and a half fake dates. Right. They were only fake-dating after all. So it didn’t really matter and that would be the next step. Fake sex. Still she suddenly felt very nervous. But determined! If that was the way to help Rude then she would do it and do it as believable as possible! So, she stepped in front of him, to take his hands in hers. “Lead the way.“

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 05\. May 2020: Did I lose the endnotes here?   
Oh my... If you read this I hope you enjoy this.


	18. Staying the night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> day 34 - Sunday night to Monday morning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (No Lemon, but UST, flirting and adult themes - but honestly if you're reading this fic you should be at least 18... it‘s M-rated!)

It wasn‘t far away but in a rather dull and dirty corner in the next sector. A huge complex with lots of living units. Almost like a small town within the edges of Edge. Tifa got a bit confused because Rufus had wanted Edge to be more friendly and more open with better living conditions for everyone but this was not how she had imagined that. Maybe it was better than having no home at all but it wasn’t ideal either. Sub-societies would always manifest themselves but the kind could be influenced by the possibilities. What she saw and heard here reminded Tifa of the Slums but with more fresh air and the sky above them.  
It also reminded her of the Slums because even at this time of the night it was lively. The whole atmosphere felt sketchy. Rude had explained to her that a good 80% of the residents were working for the Mafia in one way or another. A perfect place to gather intel.   
Tifa had seen a few women walking around the street, most certainly to be of service for the men living here. She herself was thankful that she had met AVALANCHE before she had to start with this kind of work. Not that men hadn‘t tried to offer huge amounts of money for her services anyway, but she got to choose and that was a huge luck.   
The women and some of the men saw her and Rude passing, giving them cautious looks and glares. To no surprise. She was an intruder. Just to act a better scene she encircled his arm, carefully glancing at the group of girls, trying to bring the point across ‚Nope, this one is mine and I‘m going home with him!‘  
The squeeze on his arm caused Rude to look down to her and then to the girls. He then did something she did not expect. He kissed her on top of her head. Right then it felt so intimate but they were still scrutinized and watched so it was probably just for show. This was just fake after all. Still, she had to fight down a smile. 

The inside of the building in which Rude had his apartment was as dirty as the outside streets and Tifa could hear all kinds of noises of living. Shouting, laughter, a baby crying, Musik and TVs. A bit after two in the morning. This was distressing. She was suddenly very glad to live in a calmer neighborhood. 

A bulky man in a wife beater and black trousers came out of one of the doors shouting profanities at whoever was still inside and slammed the door. He stopped when he saw Rude and Tifa at his side, still hanging on his arm.   
“Oh Rudolph, what do you have there? It’s not one from the usual girls?“   
‘Usual girls?’ A surge of anger bubbled up in the pit of Tifa’s stomach. ‘Chill, you’re only fake dating! Your feelings are your problem!’ She hated how often she had to remind herself.  
“This is Tifa. We’ve been seeing each other for a little more than a week now.“  
“Heh, she is cute.“ He actually reached out in a gesture that inclined that he wanted to grab her face. Before he even came near it, Tifa swatted his hand away.   
“You touch me and I will break every single bone in your body, starting with your penis.“  
The anger that had gleamed in the disgusting man's face turned into a leer, that gave Tifa goosebumps but her eyes never wavered. There was no sense in showing weakness to scum like him. She knew the kind from her bar.  
“Oh, fierce. I like that.“  
“You have no idea,“ Rude added, stepping lightly forward to shield Tifa from him. “She gave me a black eye the other day. You don’t want to cross her. She’s special.“   
There was an edge to his voice that did weird things to Tifa’s stomach, the former irritation effectively changing into something else. It didn’t help that she suddenly remembered that they were going to have pretend-sex of some kind now. She really needed to get her hormones in check. This was becoming borderline ridiculous.   
“I see…,“ the man gave both of them a calculating look. But the grin stayed. “Well have fun then, Rudolph. I hope for you that she is a wildcat in bed too.“   
“I‘ll find out soon.“  
And there her body reacted again - just to the idea for fucks sake! - but she managed to overplay it and calmly patted Rude’s arm: “You won‘t if we continue to stand around here and then you have to go get one of the ‘usual girls’.“  
The other man laughed out loud and aggravating, turning to leave: “Good luck, pal.“  
Rude waved back and then turned to look down at Tifa, not asking but the way he cocked his head and raised his eyebrow she knew basically asking ‘What?‘. She answered with a shrug and a smile she hoped was more cute and less angry. It wasn’t like they were a couple and maybe Rude had to do other things to get information. Maybe she wasn’t even his type and he didn’t like ‘down-to-earth-girls’ after all. She really hated the fact that her mind was now running along with that thought of him and other women, leaving her jealous and inferior. Stupid.  
He shook his head and they continued their way, until they finally reached a door at the far end and Rude unlocked it. Before they stepped in, he made a silent-gesture and pointed to his ear, signaling that the flat was bugged.

The first thing she realized was how cold it was. The second one was how clean everything appeared and the third that he had made an effort to make it somehow comfortable. There were even old pillows on the couch and a rug on the floor and a neat desk for paperwork. A bit like himself. So, she shouldn’t be surprised. For being so spare and with nothing personal to be seen it was almost homely. Seriously, nothing personal anywhere. She wondered what his real living quarters looked like. Besides that this place was still a hole and very small. The kitchen was nothing but a cupboard with a sink, a small fridge and a single boiling plate in the corner. There was one window right beside it. Two doors led to the bath- and bedroom, both also very small. At least there was a shower and the bed seemed to be just big enough for Rudes large frame. It was made but in that military fashion she knew from Cloud. 

After she had checked everything out and had nothing to distract herself with she remembered what was supposedly to happen, which left Tifa to feel nervous again. She started to pace a bit which wasn‘t easy in the small space. She just walked around the couch, that was actually not much bigger than a loveseat. The room was now lit by a couple of candles positioned in strategic places, providing light and warmth against the cold. Also music was coming from an old radio.  
“Are you okay?“ Rude was standing in the corner with the kitchen.  
Tifa answered with a shrug and a hum and then added: “It‘s just been a while.“  
For a few seconds he stared at her and she felt a blush creep up on her. In moments like these she really wished he would wear his stupid sunglasses. Then he shook his head.  
“Relax. Please give me your Jacket. Do you want a glass of wine?“  
Tifa nodded again, giving him her garment so he could hang it on a hook at the door, the chill creeping up on her, making her shudder and she wrapped her arms around herself.   
“Excuse the cold. The heating system is always broken.”  
“It’s fine. We’re going to produce our own heat soon enough…,” it came out with an awkward laugh in the end. But he glanced at her with that minimal-almost-smirk of his and then stepped back into the kitchen corner to get two glasses and a bottle with a clear liquid in it. After filling the glasses he snatched a paper from a note block and wrote: “Water. Don‘t worry. We‘ll fake it.“ and then asked loudly, “I would offer food but I only have cold takeout from yesterday.“  
“No thanks. I’m fine.“  
They clinked glasses and Tifa took the piece of paper and scribbled the question “How are we gonna fake it?“ on it to then slide it over to him again. While he wrote, she took a sip from her glass and nearly spit it out again reading his answer.  
“Porn.“  
\---   
They had already been sitting on the small couch for 20 minutes, as far away from each other as possible, as Tifa had realised after the first ten minutes of awkward silence. The sound from the speaker was just silent enough to hear the important noises without really making it possible to distinguish them if not sitting right in front of it. The calm music from the radio also helped to drown out the unnatural aspect.   
Beside the general awkwardness the whole situation was still hilarious. The “Perverts Delight“ box contained 25 DVDs, all in all a good 50 hours of porn, of all kinds of kinks and turn ons or offs in some cases. Tifa couldn’t help but wonder who seriously bought that. The fact that it had still been wrapped up and the attached note saying ‘so you wouldn‘t get bored while being away, yo!’ at least proved that this really had been a present from Reno and Rude hadn’t bought it for his own entertainment. Apparently it also hasn’t been the first time that Rude had found a present like this between his stuff.   
Tifa had her legs pulled up to her chest, a blanket around her back, while she watched a secretary having a lot of fun giving a blowjob to her boss, who looked a lot like a cheap copy of a younger Rufus Shinra.   
It really wasn’t easy to not giggle the whole time about the bad scenery or about Rude who was looking at least as confused and uncomfortable as her.   
She scribbled another note, crumpled the paper and threw it over to him, hitting him on his chest, like they had done from time to time.   
“Is that what is going on at ShinRa?“  
“Not when I’m around“   
“I wonder why?“  
“I don’t have a secretary.“  
Tifa strifled her laugh and looked from the piece of paper that they tossed like a note in school, up to Rude. The man just shrugged as answer. He then grabbed another piece of paper.   
“You have to ask Reno about this kind of stuff. He has no secretary either but I’m sure he had affairs with some of them.“   
Again she had to try her best not to laugh.   
“I’m learning so much tonight. That and the consequences of not having enough money when I need a craftsman to do repairs.“   
“Learning new things is important. Good for you.“ And under it: “I should have read more closely what the contents are. I’m sorry.“   
Finally Tifa giggled a bit, figuring a few natural sounds would not blow their cover. She shook her head in an attempt to explain that she found it hilarious. But she tried not to full out laugh. That was until the very diligent secretary in the movie finally took the report she was supposed to get in the beginning and brought it to a group of people who very much looked like Turks.   
“OH MY GODDESS!!“ Tifa suddenly shouted, then instantly slapping her hands on her mouth, trying her hardest to not laugh out loud again. The Scene was preparing a full blown Turk orgy. The actors were even looking a bit like the originals (except the Elena stand-in who only shared the hair-colour). A glance over to Rude showed him frozen in panic while he stared at the TV, which made the whole situation even more hysterical. A first suggestive moan came from the loudspeaker, that moment he snapped back to reality and turned to find the remote. Before he saw it on the floor, Tifa dove for it and hurried behind the couch.   
“No!“ he was actually pointing his finger at her as if that would stop her. For the first time she also saw pure and uncontrolled emotion on his face. Unbelieving panic and a hint of humor. Nope, not a chance she would give up this easy.   
“Yeees~“ the sang almost suggestive.  
A man so tall really should not be so fast, but she was fast too. While he jumped over the sofa she ran back around it, bringing the item of furniture between them again.   
“Give me the remote or do you want to end up like that?“ He pointed to the TV   
A turn showed the secretary being spanked, probably because the file wasn’t named correct.   
“No…,“ before she could finish he was right beside her, reaching for the remote. In a last futile attempt she leaned away but she felt his arm find its way around her middle, preventing her from fleeing.   
“YES!“ As soon as he had the remote he stopped the movie, returning the DVD to the menu. Without any more self control Tifa started to laugh, leaning into Rudes chest to muffle the sound, her hands grabbing onto his shirt for grounding. His Hand travelled along her back up and towards her shoulder so he was encircling her, his thumb caressing her arm. There was a mix of embarrassment and joy bubbling in her chest, both caused by the warmth and solidity of the man she was leaning on. She could hear his fast heartbeat slowing and Tifa calmed down along with it, taking deep breaths.   
“I’m going to kill him,“ Rudes deep voice suddenly broke the silence.  
Tifa inhaled a few more times to calm further down before she took a step back, fighting back a blush. Instead of listening to her own thoughts she thankfully accepted that topic. It was so obvious who he spoke about. There was only one option after all.  
“Do you think he knew?“   
“Yes.“   
Not without some regret she turned back to the couch and with a heavy thump and another chuckle, let herself fall back on it, breath still ragged. While Rude put the DVD back into its place in the box and flicked through the rest of it. So many DVDs. So much porn. She felt way more relaxed now and she ignored the obvious feeling of arousal as well as the memory of Rudes arm around her waist and her shoulder and how strong and warm he was and how good he smelled. With tired eyes she watched her host, while cocooning back into the blanket. This evening was actually a lot of fun, even if they didn‘t have coffee or breakfast and for times it had been awkward and not exactly what she would have chosen under different circumstances. Still a nice second date. She saw him halt for a second, his eyes fixating one of the discs. Suddenly shaking his head almost disapproving and then continuing. He finally chose another DVD and put it in the player. The first movie was a pretty generic one without much plot except some weird casting couch scenery. 

To keep herself from further thinking she concentrated on the film that played now.  
It was a pity though, she really wanted to watch the erotic adventures of ShinRa employees. For no particular reason beside the hilarity. Compared to that everything else had to be downright boring. Tifa grabbed another piece of paper to start writing again.   
“I bet you a drink that she won’t get the job.“  
“I bet you that another guy will join.“  
They had both been right. 

The next thing she knew was that she was carefully shook awake, lying in a bed that was not hers, it smelled different. Like Rude. It was nice.   
“Tifa. I’m sorry I have to wake you. It‘s time. I‘ll bring you home.“   
With a sigh, she rolled to the side to see Rude look at her, squatting beside the bed.  
“I fell asleep?“  
“It had been a long day.“  
She didn‘t answer immediately but continued to stare at his eyes in the dim light, provided by a weak lightbulb. She actually felt calm and this was one of the moments she was glad he did not wear his glasses. It would be so easy to kiss him but of course she chickened out. Also morning breath. Plus she didn‘t brush her teeth before she fell asleep.  
“How long did I sleep?“  
“Three hours.“  
“Hm…,“ it had to be some time between five and six in the morning. Every day was a long day.  
“I‘d offer you a shower but the water takes two hours to heat up. If at all,“ he was still talking just above a whisper as if to not disturb her.  
“That is fine. I‘ll have one at home.“  
“Come on. Coffee is ready.“  
“All right.“  
With that she sat up, shuddering because the air felt freezing. While he walked out she stayed a few more moments, watching him. It suddenly hit her that this had to be the second time he had carried her to a bed. A pity she had always been out of it, it would probably be a nice experience to be awake for that. And if he stayed… She rolled her eyes at herself and groaned, hiding her face in her hands. When this was over she needed to get this… attraction and frustration out of her body. Maybe she should try a harder workout. She would just do a trip to the outskirts and fight monsters. Alone. No one around.   
All of this was only caused by the close proximity and the fact that they had to act like a couple! And maybe because they got along better than she had anticipated. Finally she stood up and hurried in the main room to slip in her jacket.  
“Do you want to leave so badly?“  
“No, you ass! It‘s cold and you basically threw me out of your warm bed,“ with two steps she was in the kitchen sipping the hot coffee out of the cup presented to her, absolutely not standing extra near to the man beside her in hopes to absorb some of this warmth. “It seems more like you want me to get lost as soon as possible.“  
“I don‘t want that. I have to leave for work,“ he didn‘t seem in a hurry though.   
“Hm,“ she took another sip. “Don‘t you drink coffee too?“  
“I already had mine. There is only one cup.“  
“Oh,“ she stared at the cup, but two glasses for wine. Again she felt jealous about things he might have done with other women here. Not her. She then raised her eyebrows at him. “Maybe I can bring a second one next time.“

Again the silence and the thinking. Normally it meant that he considered her suggestion and how he could use it for their charade.  
“Sure. That would be nice,“ he didn‘t sound like it.  
One of these days she was going to punch him for confusing her so much all the time.   
“Aw, don‘t worry. It was just a joke,“ she took another sip of the coffee. “Who knows what will be next week. Or tomorrow,“ she mumbled.  
“…“   
A very Rude answer.  
“Hey, we’re only seeing each other for a week. Yesterday was nice but no strings attached, right?“ She shook her head. This was all so weird. She really shouldn‘t feel jealous about… ANYTHING. And not feel sad that she had a lot of fun with fake-dating her former enemy and that it might be over soon because that was the nearest she had been to something like a normal relationship in a long time. Or wonder if he enjoyed her company as much as she did his. After a night of passionate not-sex. She felt pathetic.   
The coffee was now cold enough for her to take bigger gulps and the cup was soon empty. All the while Rude watched her and Tifa scolded herself about seemingly falling for someone out of her reach, something she had felt pitiful for towards other girls just days ago. Pathetic!  
“I‘d like to cook you a real breakfast one day.“  
Tifa looked up to him but only fleeted and avoided his eyes, handing him the cup.   
“Sure. That would be nice,“ she delivered it with as neutral a tone as she could.  
“I mean it!“  
The fact his voice raised even the tiniest caused Tifa to look up again, starting the butterflies in her stomach, seeing the determination in his eyes. She nodded and slowly answered: “I believe you.“  
Because she wanted to. Of course there was no reason why he should not be able to do it. No reason why they couldn‘t at least be friends even if not a couple. No reason why they shouldn‘t continue their training. Except maybe the whole ‚we used to be enemies‘ part but the important thing was that they weren’t enemies anymore. There were no big reasons as to why not but also no guarantee for any promise to be kept. Still, for now she decided to believe him. And if only to keep the charade up. For herself too.   
It took Tifa another ten minutes to freshen up and be done, a time she used to berate herself because again it would have been the perfect moment to kiss him, before they left the flat together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was fun.  
I'm glad I never was in the awkward situation to watch porn with friends yet (and hopefully never will be). 
> 
> Oh hey... the plot is already starting to warm up. Soon.


	19. The day after

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 35 - Monday

It was silent in the house except a few murmurs behind closed doors. Down at the entry they met a skinny man, smoking and giving them a side eye, before smirking: “You two had fun, last night?“  
Rude actually answered with a smile and a “Lot’s.“ and then bent down so he could kiss Tifa on her cheek, causing her to blush.   
Not for the first time Tifa thought that Rude had no right to be such a good actor.   
“It sure sounded like it… and no shower, hm?“  
Now her blush deepened for a completely different reason. Part embarrassment, part anger. How dared he?   
“Well, it tells a lot when your woman runs to shower right after you finish,“ she sneered glaring at the man.  
“How dare you, you fucking bitch!?“ The man crashed his cigarette on the wall and stood up to his full height in a futile attempt to look threatening but Tifa was sure she could break his skinny ass without much problem.  
“You better leave her alone,“ Rudes voice had gotten a warning tone.  
“Or else? Are you going to punch me? Protect your girls honor? You won’t risk that!“   
“True. I won’t do anything. I also won’t stop her,“ his voice was back to normal but Rudes words seemed to make the man think. His eyes went from him to her. Tifa cocked her head, smiled and waved to finally make a fist.   
With a huff the man turned and walked in the house.   
Tifa sniffed, watching him leave: “Asshole.“  
Rude took her hand and tugged her along, away from this place.   
After a few paces Tifa suddenly worried: “This won‘t cause you any problems, will it?“  
He shook his head but didn‘t look at her.  
“I‘m sorry. I just get really angry when such sleazebags think they can bully others, especially women. I really miss the sun but I‘m glad it‘s not summer because not one of those guys would have spoken with me. They would only address my boobs. Disgusting,“ she shook her head. “I know the type. I have them at the bar often enough. I see them mistreat and talk down their girlfriends and wifes and leer at me and I want to break their nose even more,“ Tifa sighed before she continued. “It just makes me so mad!“  
There was no reaction so she looked to the side to see his face and he actually smiled. Since she had stopped to talk he glanced down to her, seeing her stare, a big grin on her face.  
“Take a photo, it will last longer,“ he remarked, his face again back to one of neutrality.  
“I’d do that if my phone had a camera… we should visit a photo booth one day and then you have to smile so I can keep that with me,“ she laughed and felt stupid to suggest it and would have never imagined for him to agree.   
“... okay.“   
Her smile broadened and she felt butterflies again. Some moments really seemed so normal.

They finally reached the street in which 7th Heaven was located, everything was still asleep or just slowly waking up.   
“I’ll leave you here,“ Rude leaned down to hug her, his mouth near her ear, so he could whisper to her. “Don‘t go anywhere alone. They will show me the fighting location when they have you. But that is too much of a risk.“   
Tifa had laid her own arms around his neck so she could also whisper into his ear: “If that means we will be able to save innocent lives than I am willing to take that risk,“ her voice had become just a bit sharper and she could feel his hand on her shoulder clench.  
“Don’t worry I can handle every enemy.“  
“Tifa, I’m training their champions. I don’t worry about you losing but… I know nothing about the fighting conditions. It might not be fair.“  
“It’s going to be fine,“ with that she turned to give him a kiss that was supposed to go to his cheek but he moved, probably to respond once more causing the kiss to land on the side of his mouth.   
They both froze for a moment, staring at each other with big eyes.  
The grip of his hands seemed to become even stronger and Tifa could feel her feet straining to continue to stand on her tiptoes but didn’t change the position. She started to say sorry but only opened her mouth. She wasn’t sorry. Her heart was hammering like crazy, her mind again screaming at her to kiss him. They were already so near to each other. It would be so easy!

Suddenly a loud metal clunk could be heard and Tifa let go, stepping back, easily breaking out of his embrace. Her heart ran a marathon and she looked around to find the source, ready to fight. Not far away she spotted a cat rummaging through a fallen trash bin. She exhaled and then turned back to Rude, he also stared at the cat and then back at Tifa. She couldn’t be sure, thanks to the shadow cast by the hat and the low light of the early morning but she could talk herself into believing that he was blushing too. Because she was sure her own face was radiating enough heat to burn paper.   
“A cat,“ Tifa remarked very lamely.  
“Yeah,“ with a step forward he was back in front of her and kissed her on the forehead. “See you tonight. Be careful.“   
And with that he hurried away, leaving her to walk back home too. She would need to take a shower. A very cold one.

The whole day after she had returned home was weird. It started with Elena waiting for her with coffee and a big grin, asking: “And where have you been, young lady?“  
It was so cheesy and made Tifa laugh so hard it grounded her again, making her feel less frisky, and her own answer was just a smile and a shrug.  
“Okay, how was it?“  
She thought about it. They didn‘t had sex but still it had been fun. A fun second date and if anything she could get inspiration from the movies. She blushed a bit and smiled. Biting her lip.  
Elenas grin broadened: “That good, eh?“  
Again Tifa only smiled. This was embarrassing and hilarious. She shrugged.  
“What is going on? Is your throat okay? Did you give him head and he was too big or what?“  
“No! Elena, no! Goddess!“ Tifa finally started to laugh loud. “I‘m just in a good mood. And I don‘t know how to describe it without starting to burn in embarrassment!“ Tifa shook her head, still grinning. “It was fun! Satisfying.“  
“Well, you sure look like it…,“ Elena gave Tifa a calculating look, who finally sipped her coffee, remembering the promise for breakfast and started to smile again. It was just a nice thought. She must have looked out of this world because Elena suddenly sounded surprised: “Shit, you really like this guy.“  
Tifa looked up and saw Elena with wide eyes. Did she? Did she really? If she could only be certain herself. Her heartbeat surely quickend when she remembered their accidental almost kiss. But how much was physical and how much emotional?   
“I mean… I guess? That is a good thing if he is my boyfriend, right?“

For some reason that fact seemed hard on the female Turk. But it wasn‘t sadness or worry or jealousy or whatever else would cause any reaction even remotely responsible for such an expression. She just seemed surprised with a hint of sadness. It worried Tifa a bit because Elena waited a few moments before she answered. “Sure,“ she finally smiled and it seemed genuine. “I‘m glad for you.“  
“Thanks,“ Tifa was truly confused. “Is that a problem?”   
“Not for me,” the blond shook her head and took another sip from her cup. “I am really glad for you and I hope you two will have a lot of good times when this whole mess is over.”   
Tifa nodded. Yeah, that would be nice.   
The two women stopped to talk both preoccupied in their own thoughts until they had finished their coffee and started their morning routine. 

The next hurdle was - as always - Reno and he was way more annoying than Elena who really was happy for Tifa and her claim to have found someone she cared about. He just couldn’t accept the fact that Tifa was seemingly in love. 

“I don’t believe you Tif, something is not right. You sure seem different but I don’t believe you had sex.”   
“Shut the fuck up Reno or I’ll kick you out. Literally!”  
Of course he did not.   
“No, no, no. Even if you had sex, it surely wasn’t as mind blowing as you make us believe. Maybe it wasn‘t satisfying? Is he an egoistic lover?“  
Tifa didn‘t react but she couldn't imagine Rude being egoistic in bed. Not if he already was so attentive in everyday life.   
“Oh, maybe you couldn‘t get him hard, Lockhart?“  
“Reno, your experience is not universal,“ Elena sassed him and Tifa burst out laughing, before she even could clench her fist. She thanked Elena in her mind, because she was sure she would have punched Reno this time. It was one thing if he talked trash about a person that was not really real and she was sure he would not say these things if he knew it was Rude undercover, but he just had insulted her and it grated on her nerves because it was something she had wondered about too. 

Like, it wasn’t enough that she was in constant danger of being abducted, no her mind had to repeatedly remind her about her confusing emotions and additionally all her flaws and insecurities and even invented some more. Not once in her life she had doubted her sexappeal. Not once, even way back when she had hoped for Clouds attention and he had not given it to her, had she thought she wasn’t attractive. But this time was different. Some of the interactions between her and Rude seemed so real but there was this line that was never overstepped. Except for this morning by mistake. And after mulling it over for hours she felt stupid for interpreting Rudes reacation as anything but disapproval. And she couldn’t help but wonder if it was only because of her. She knew she was good looking and there was always the possibility that it was Rude’s ‘problem’ that he did not react in any physical way but what if that wasn’t the case? Reno had said Rude liked women. He didn’t seem physically interested in her. Maybe she wasn’t his type. Maybe it hasn’t been Cloud who had kept suitors away. Maybe she just wasn’t as attractive as she thought. Her mind was running circles and made her feel lacking… it was irrational and she hated herself for it and Reno was very, very lucky she hadn’t acted on her anger.   
“I hope Blondie is back soon. I have so many complaints!“

Tifa sighed. She needed to shift the attention from her (non existent) sexlife to something else because the bar was almost empty and it was not time to go to the gym yet so she had no excuse to not talk to Reno. Well, maybe she could use the fact.   
“Hey, did you guys know that there is something like ShinRa porn? I‘ve seen it advertised in a magazine that someone left at the gym,“ she had wanted to ask especially Reno about it, wondering if he really knew about the movie in the box.   
“What? No!“ as suspected Elena sounded shocked.   
Reno laughed: “It‘s a whole genre.“   
“Genre?“ Tifa's eyebrows rose.   
“Yeah. Turks, Soldiers, Scientists… every single division that ever existed. There is porn of it.“  
“That is disgusting!“ Elena visibly shuddered.  
“Huh? Really?“ That was surprising. Tifa had no idea that there was so much porn about ShinRa… on the other side why should she? Did Rufus know?!   
“The amount is ridiculous, even in my opinion. But that is not all.“  
Renos smile broadened and suddenly Tifa felt very afraid.  
“There is AVALANCHE porn too.“  
“WHAT!? NO!“   
Reno raised his hands in defence. “I‘m just stating the facts. But by far not as much. You could say it’s rare. Rumor says there are even crossovers.“  
Tifa’s eyes grew big: “Like the ShinRas and AVALANCHE… together?“   
“So I heard,“ the redhead took a sip of his drink.   
“Oh, Goddess!“ Tifa turned, gagged and grabbed a glass to pour herself a shot. Holy fuck.   
“I’m sure that is said a lot!“ Reno laughed.   
A wet rag hit him in the face. “GROSS!“ Elena shoutet. A couple of her male fans at a table that was still occupied applauded her. 

Reno turned around to glare at the group, effectively shutting them up. With a satisfied smirk he turned back to lay the rag on the counter.   
“I hope my next drink is on the house. You need to control your employees better.“  
Tifa rolled her eyes once more, still trying to keep her dinner down. She did not want to think about any of her friends in any sexual way. That was just plain wrong. Now she felt sorry for trying to keep the remote from Rude. Anyway it had been Elena who was STILL a Turk, who had thrown the rag. If Reno was disrespected by his people it wasn‘t Tifa's fault. But he had tipped generously so far so one scotch would be fine.   
“Only if you shut up now.”  
“Can’t do that. There are only two topics I can talk about. One is your loser boyfriend and the other is how your porn actress has even bigger boobs than you. Elenas too. They are both way hotter than either of you and obviously not as mean…“  
Glass was splintering when Tifa crushed the bottle in her hand, alcohol mixing with blood but she ignored the ache: “Get thE FUCK OUT!!!” 

When she later walked through the gym door, her mood was still bad. Very bad. Beyond pissed. A part of her counter was broken when she had punched it to not outright kill Reno. He was lucky that Elena had stood in the line, halting her back. Her mood did not get better when Shelly explained to her that Rude wasn’t there already.   
A peek to the clock showed that he was late which was not normal and now added worry to the mix of emotions raging in her. A look at her phone revealed no message. How could such a nice morning have turned into such a shitty evening?   
"Tifa, are you okay? What happened to your hand?“ Shelly sounded spooked.  
Tifa hadn’t cared about Cure Materia, only wiped off the glass, chugged a potion and sloppily wrapped her hand in gauze. She didn’t even let Elena have a look before she left.   
"I‘m fine. Just stressed.“  
With that she turned away and walked to the locker room to change, while typing on her phone, sending a message to Rude.  
"I‘m at the gym, waiting. See you soon.“

Two hours later of hitting the boxing bag, her hand hurting, there was still no sign of Rude. No message. She was very worried. What if they had found out? What if… she started to shake. No. It would be fine. He was fine.   
She waited for another hour. Still nothing and her fear and frustration turned into pure rage. With a deep roar she started to pound the sack, hearing the hook creak in the ceiling and finally roundhouse kicking it, sending it flying and crashing in the wall two meter away, with a loud bang. When it dropped to the floor it revealed a crack, mirrored on the ceiling. Her breath was heavy. She was so angry!

"Tifa! What is going o… ooohhhh GODDESS!“   
She turned to glare at Shelly. It would be so easy to intimidate her to get information.   
"Tifa!“ the girl sounded shocked. "What… what happened? Why are you still here and where is Rudolph? Did something happen between you two?“  
Shelly had gradually walked towards Tifa, with pure worry on her face.  
"Did you two have an argument?“  
Tifa shook her head, letting her eyes drop to the floor. She couldn‘t be violent to Shelly. There was no proof she was part of this.   
"Then what happened?“ Shelly started to rub Tifa's arm in a soothing gesture. Tifa didn‘t really like it. Shelly was no friend. But Tifa still allowed it, feeling guilty about her mistrust towards the other woman.  
"Yesterday after we left…“  
"Goddess! You slept with him!“  
Tifa looked up, brows furrowed, seeing Shellys giant shocked eyes.   
"I…,“ there was no way to deny it. If Rude’s cover was still working she had to stick to the story. "Yes. I stayed with him last night.“  
"And now you can‘t reach him?“  
Tifa nodded, staring at the floor again.  
"Men are trash,“ Shelly stepped forward to hug her. It felt weird. But Tifa returned it. The other woman stepped back again, her eyes full of pity.  
"Do you need to talk? Do you want to go hit the bars, have a drink and find some real men to have fun with?“  
Tifa shook her head and sighed tired.  
"I‘ll go home now. See you tomorrow. I‘ll pay for the damage,“ she slowly walked away.  
"Okay! But if you need a shoulder to cry on, I'll be here for you.“  
Tifa rose her hand to indicate that she had heard. 

Back home, Elena was still awake, ordered her to sit and took care of Tifa's hand, cleaning it correctly and casting a healing spell. She then sent her to bed.   
The last thing Tifa did before she hit the pillow was looking at her phone. Still no message.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oops... poor Tifa. 
> 
> I realize lots of scenes are just for filling they have no deeper meaning. Like the fact that Elena has lots of male fans? I just think she would have lots of fans. While Renos assholery, even if not intentional, was used to deepen Tifas insecurities and anger. 
> 
> In between I wondered how much sense ShinRa and AVALANCHE porn-parodies made but then I was like "who cares? in the end it's just some throwaway joke." and also rule 34. 
> 
> I have one more day to try to finish the lime... lemon? chapter... we'll see. And after that? more plot plot plot.


	20. Sleep well

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 35- Monday to Tuesday night  
"Author: [holds up the script on a pink page] Pink pages always mean a dream."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, there is still no diddely-do in this chapter because I was at 4k words again and then thought "I'll cheat me another day and split the chapter!" So maybe you'll see chapter 21 of 28 tomorrow.

  
She dreamt again. It was a calm scenery of meadows with trees and flowers and she was sitting on a hill looking down. In the background she could see the mountains. It was beautiful.   
She remembered this dream. A few years back, when they searched for Sephiroth, she had dreamt it very regularly. Back then she had been here alone or sometimes Cloud had been sitting there with her. Nothing more. It was just serene and calming in a very wild and uncertain time of her life. It made sense that she had come back now, worried sick.

She turned her head and she saw Rude sitting there. Of course. She didn‘t even question it because he was important to her situation and to her. There wasn’t much sense to deny it. She took in his appearance. His eyes were hidden by his sunglasses and he was wearing his Turk suit. Even his goatee was back.   
He looked good but very different to the figure she had come to know. But she knew it was the same person. So, it didn‘t really matter. She was just relieved to see him.   
"Rude.“  
He turned like he had only just now realised that he was not alone. He moved again, observing their surroundings and then her appearance.   
She looked down at her own dream-outfit.   
It was her daily clothes from the bar. The apron was even a bit dirty. She smiled and shook her head. It was such a normal attire.   
“I‘m glad to see you. You weren’t at the gym and you did not answer my message. I‘m worried.”  
"I‘m sorry? I’m safe,” again he looked around seemingly confused. Then he focused back on her: “They took my phone. Kept me to train their people. I fear they will attack you soon. Be careful.“  
"I will be. You too.“  
He nodded and then turned back to observe the landscape once more.  
“This is nice,“ she commented and looked over to him while leaning back on her hands, stretching her legs and crossing them at the ankles and then let her eyes travel along the horizon too.   
He answered with a hum.  
“It’s calm and beautiful,“ it was probably her favorite dream she would always wake up relaxed and refreshed.   
“You’re more beautiful,“ he murmured. Once more she realised how much she liked his deep voice especially if it was even lower and she laughed a bit: “Sure. Thanks.“ Her heart sped up and she felt her cheeks grow warm. Because of course.   
“I mean it. You’re the most beautiful woman in the world,“ she turned to look up at him, he was watching her, stoic as ever. Even dream-Rude was like that. She bit her lip.   
“Okay. Thank you. You’re quite handsome too, you know?“ It felt weird to say something like that. Even in a dream. They looked at each other for a moment, the glasses being a distraction. But that was fine… even though she wondered if he was really looking at her face. There was no telling.   
“There should be paintings and statues of you so everyone could witness your beauty. Even if they could never do you justice.“  
Tifa was amazed and embarrassed at that compliment, a smile constantly tugging on her corners of her mouth. She was not used to stuff like that.   
“But at the same time it would mean to share you with the world when I want to keep you for myself. It’s egoistic but true.“  
Dream-Rude talked a lot. A lot of very nice and a bit weird things.  
“You are kind of biased as my ‚boyfriend‘,“ she teased.   
And apparently dream-Rude was more prone to smiling. In an enchanting way and this was one just for her and not any other girl. It made her smile back.   
“Not completely true. It had been my opinion even before we started to pose as a couple.“  
Oh. Okay. The blush she had tried to fight down came back with force, coloring Tifa’s cheeks.  
“You almost never smile for me in real life,“ she took a hold of his hand, sitting up again and turning to him. “Why?“   
“I don’t want it to seem fake. You only deserve absolute honesty and perfection,“ he lifted her hand to his lips to kiss it. Her face burned up now and her stomach made summersaults.   
This was just a dream but, Goddess! If in the real world he only said and felt a fraction of the things he displayed here, she would be more than happy to forget her own doubts and that he was basically a killer working for ShinRa.  
“I would have never guessed that you are such a smooth talker. But now I understand why all the girls get their panties in a twist over you.”  
“I don‘t talk to anyone else like that,“ he was still holding her hand, thumb brushing over her knuckles.  
"Hm,“ that couldn‘t be right… right? "Really? No one else?“   
He sounded almost frustrated when he answered: "Really. There is no sense in relationships with other women. I tried. When I thought I could finally forget you. One week. Two weeks. It didn’t work. In the end you‘re the only one I want. I‘d rather stay alone than with anyone else.“  
Holy shit. Holy shit! Her eyes must be as big as saucers. How was it possible that she dreamt about stuff like that? This wasn’t really a thing, right?   
"I‘m sorry,“ he huffed. "You probably think I‘m weird for pining for one woman for so long.“  
"No… I mean yes, I think you‘re weird but not because of your pining,” Tifa tried her hardest to get her mind back into working mode. To get a grasp about what she just experienced: “I mean you‘re talking to the pining champion here. Even though it sounds like Elena and you could give me a run for my title.“  
"Really? What is your record, champion?“  
Tifa wondered. Cloud left Nibelheim when she had been fourteen…  
"Around seven to eight years? I don‘t know when I gave up on Cloud exactly. It just happened over time.“  
"Hm. I do draw in close.“  
"Not if we really become a couple,“ Tifa laughed and peeked at him seeing this really nice and soft smile again.  
She laughed again. This was somehow exciting: "I mean… if you want to get your ‘dream girl’ after… wait when did you start your pining? Because we barely knew each other before…”   
He seemed to think about this, still cradling her hand.  
"I think I got interested in you when we visited your old bar in Sector 7…“   
Tifa snorted.  
"Ass and Boobs?“  
"No!“  
Her eyebrows were slowly rising.  
"Okay, that was a bonus. But more because of the way you moved. You‘re a fighter. And later your hands and eyes.“  
Tifa was actually surprised and happy to hear that, men who went after her only for her more feminin attributes annoyed her. Someone who actually got interested because she was a fighter was new. And hands and eyes… she could relate to that, watching Rudes hands constantly caressing hers.   
"I don't remember seeing you there. I‘m sure I‘d remember Turks visiting my bar.“  
"Undercover. No suits.“  
"Pfff!“  
He smiled at her again.  
"And you‘ve had a crush on me since then?“ Tifa asked again.  
"Hm. Well, then it was an interest. It became more later. When we had your profiles and knew more about AVALANCHE.“  
"Wow. Weird. And a bit stalker-ish. Also weird to be on the receiving end.“   
"Don‘t you have a lot of suitors?“  
"There is a difference between love and lust. Many lust after me. I could have all the sex I want if that was what I wanted. But those who want me only for their bed… they will talk and I really don‘t want my reputation to become even worse beyond ‘large busted bar owner’. I guess even if Cloud was keeping possible suitors from me it was also a useful cover. It just made it harder to find a man,“ she sighed her eyes travelling along the horizon. "As for love… I don‘t know. Two men I was in a relationship with said they loved me… at least one meant it, I believe.“  
"I love you.“  
Tifa bit her lip to suppress a smile before turning back to him. Trying to spy behind his glasses. She was now used to seeing his eyes but could still spot the little changes in his expression. It was just harder.   
"Don‘t ask if I‘m sure. I analyzed these emotions for years,“ he added.   
Tifa huffed and moved to sit beside him, so she could drape his arm around her waist and lean onto his side: "I‘m glad.“  
When she finally had settled he moved to kiss her on the temple.   
This was a nice dream, Tifa figured but really couldn‘t help and wonder if it really was just that because the way his body felt against hers was very solid and warm and she heard his heartbeat. While it might be a possibility it was still a bit off. The scenery of course she knew. Still… 

"… this… is a dream, right? I mean…This… the things you told me are not something my subconscious could imagine... I think.“  
He looked around too.  
"I‘m not sure. It kind of feels real. I never dreamt of this landscape.“  
"I did. A lot of times. I never dreamt of you.“  
"I dream of you a lot. But we rarely talk then,“ as soon as he said that he seemed flustered by the fact. Very much to Tifa's delight: "So? Then what are we doing?“  
"… you know…“  
"Do you dream of us doing couple stuff? Holding hands? Cooking? Going shopping?“  
"That too.“  
"All right,” she made a point at looking around once more. "We are holding hands,“ she grabbed the hand that was laying on her stomach. "But I see no kitchen, no market, no restaurant to go for dinner. So what couple stuff could we do? In this dream?“  
He didn‘t answer, just stared at her while she craned her head. She knew that silence even if she could never know what exactly he was thinking. Oh, she would love to listen into his inner debates. But since that was not possible she had to come to her own conclusion and maybe he really wasn‘t into the physical component of relationships?  
She sighed. And turned back to watch the meadow and to lean onto him. No need to force anything, right? She was used to relationships with only platonic affections. Even if that was not what she was looking for. It actually made her a bit sad because it meant that whatever they had was never… 

“Make love,” he had only mumbled it and considering how deep in thought she was it had torn her out of her musing so she had to ask: “What?” Had she heard that correctly? She turned around and got to her knees to be able to look him in the face. That did not seem to help him.   
“In my dreams we have… we…,”   
Oh! Oh! Now she understood. He was shy! How cute! Which was weird considering who she was talking to and how she had denied that he was cute before and how he had never shown it before so maybe this was a dream after all. A way of her subconscious to explain his behaviour. If it was a dream she could go all in.   
She moved her hands up to the sides of his face to take off the sunglasses, laying them to the side, her eyes never leaving his. She would forever be amazed about how warm they were. There was actually a blush on his face. She let her hands brush against his cheeks.   
“We’re doing what, Rude? This is just a dream. No consequences.”   
“What if this is more than a dream?” Contrary to his words that did imply doubts his hands were on her hip and pulling her closer.   
“What if it’s not? Answer the question, Rude…,“ she was leaning in to him, forehead to forehead nose brushing.   
Again he halted, the answer obviously waiting to be let out while he stared in her eyes.   
“We make love.”  
Tifa felt herself to start to giggle. I had been kind of mean to make him say it but…   
“You’re so cute!”   
“I’m… ”   
Finally she closed the distance for a kiss, pressing her lips to his.   
And dream Rude was an excellent kisser. Not that Tifa had that much experience to compare. Maybe half a dozen guys who had even dared to make a move on her had come this far. Less got further. But even with limited expertise it sure was great. And the kiss soon turned into a full blown make-out session.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dreams are a fun thing. Hahaha... hah...  
Also, of course Rude is shy. He's just really good at hiding it.  
\---  
Hey, thanks to the... 6 or 7 people who actually read this? I hope you still enjoy it.


	21. Let's talk about sex...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 36 - Tuesday

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ... because it won't happen in this chapter.  
I couldn't do it. I'm sorry. Maybe I'll add it one day? Subscribe next month if you want to be notified when I'll update next year or so. XD

With a gasp Tifa opened her eyes. Her heart was hammering away, her whole body still tingling. She looked around the dark room. She was at home and alone. With a mix of a moan and a groan she sat up. What the hell? She remembered her dream with an unusual clarity and she felt her face burn up.   
Holy shit! She just had a wet dream about Rude! It had started innocent enough with talking and making out but then it continued… and how it continued.   
She let her finger wander down to test and yupp, she inhaled sharply. There was quite some evidence between her legs and she was still sensitive to the touch.   
That dream had been… intense. Taking one of the handkerchiefs that she stored at her bedside she cleaned off her fingers and reflected on her dream once more.  
The sex had been… simply amazing. But the beginning had been really nice too and… there had been emotions in the mix! A lot of emotions! Tifa gave herself another ten minutes to collect herself, trying to remember all the compliments, the feelings from the dream. The laughter, the sorrow, the… lust… the… wait… did dream-Rude say he loved her? Goddess…   
Also she might have talked about becoming a couple? Her subconscious was screwed. She groaned. 

Suddenly she remembered that she hadn‘t really met Rude yesterday and hurriedly searched for her phone. No message. Nothing. Another groan this time caused by a different kind of frustration and worry. What the hell? Maybe she should report that to Tseng? She would call him later.   
First, she put on a big sweater and then slipped into the bathroom to get herself cleaned up. She felt a bit embarrassed when she threw her panties in the basket for the dirty clothes but she also felt that nice kind of relaxation she hadn’t experienced in forever. It had been a very good dream. Dressed again, she moved towards the kitchen since it was time to get up anyway. 

“Do you have someone over or what was that tonight?“   
No ‚Good morning. Did you sleep well?‘ Just Elena with an embarrassing question and a fresh cup of coffee. At least that! Tifa took the offered cup with a sigh: “Good morning to you too, Elena.“   
“Morning. So? Do we have a guest?” Her smile was teasing.   
“No. Just a dream.“  
“You dreamt of your mysterious boyfriend?“ It sounded doubtful and a bit confused.   
If Rude would really be her boyfriend that whole ordeal wouldn’t be so embarrassing. But she has had a dream about a Turk and sooner or later Elena would know. Tifa blushed: “Yeah.“  
“Sounded nice. Surprising after you were gone for so long yesterday. I figured you were having fun with him, letting off steam…,“ Elena furrowed her brows.   
“Ugh,“ Tifa sat down at the kitchen table and hid her face in her arms. Stupid Turks with their perception. “Why were you even awake?“   
Elena shrugged: “I’m a light sleeper. Comes with the profession.“  
Tifa groaned again and slumped back onto the chair looking up at the ceiling: “I’m sorry.“   
Elena shook her head and sat down on the chair at the other side of the table.   
“It’s only natural and not your fault. I just think it‘s a bit weird that you have such a dream right after you ‚met‘ your lover…,“ Elena continued to analyze while sipping her coffee. At least it didn’t sound creepy. That was probably the reason Tifa continued the conversation at all.   
“For your information I haven’t ‘met’ with my lover yesterday. He wasn‘t at the gym,” after the embarrassment the worry came back and Tifa figured that maybe Elena had an idea about how to proceed in such a case. She was a Turk after all.  
"What do you mean?“  
"He did not appear at the time we agreed to meet. And he did not come later. He…“   
"So that is why you were gone so long? You waited?“  
Tifa nodded.  
"He left no message? Seems odd. Maybe he just wanted to have sex with you and then dropped you?“  
For a moment Tifa thought about it. She knew this was not true. Dream-Rude had said that he was kept and they had taken his phone. Well dreams were not the best source for information but it made sense. She could not think of any other reason. It worried her that he had no means to contact anyone. But she had to act like it was possible that her boyfriend was a scumbag after all: "I don‘t want to believe that. Even though Shelly said that too.“  
"Well, what other explanation do you have?“  
"He was held up by work,“ Tifa tried.   
"Very important bouncer business? And no message after all your high praise?“  
"I don‘t know! I don‘t want to think about it,“ she would really need to call Tseng. He probably had a protocol about how to proceed.   
"Tifa, I‘m sorry to say that but maybe he is not as perfect as you think he is. It is suspicious that you two had sex and then he diasappears,“ Elena explained it very matter of factly and if this were real, Tifa would agree but…  
"It was a lie,“ Tifa finally whispered.  
"Come again?“ Elena sounded genuinely surprised.  
"We didn‘t had sex,“ Tifa blushed, thinking back to the evening. No sex but a lot of fun and she felt warm all over again.  
The other woman did not answer, maybe going through all the information provided to her. Then finally she spoke again: "W… why the… but your smile when you came home… oh Goddess! That means Reno was right! And you’re… Why?! What happened?!“  
Tifa shook her head, unsure about how to start.  
"I mean it was already pretty late and we… actually we wanted to go for a coffee and maybe a late-night-meal. But the Coffee Shop was closed. So, we went to his place, we watched a… movie… and it was nice. Funny. We laughed a lot and… well, I fell asleep on the couch. He carried me to his bed and woke me up three hours later and brought me back here. He promised to make me breakfast one day.“  
While telling, Tifa could feel the smile on her face return and she remembered their accidental half kiss and she blushed again. Yeah, she really, really had some kind of feelings for Rude. 

And she was worried. 24 hours and no message except a dream. And they hadn‘t talked much about work in the dream. Also it had been JUST A DREAM! There was still the fact that she hadn’t received any kind of real message from him.   
The mood swing came very fast. She rubbed her forehead in frustration.  
"I‘m worried something might have happened. Maybe the Mafia saw and attacked him.“

"I‘ll try to get information. If anyone witnessed an attack we‘ll know,“ Elena sounded very professional when she stood up to get her phone. Tifa was thankful for that. She also got up to get her mobile. Maybe she had missed a message but again nothing.   
While walking back she typed "Where are you?“ and sent it. No harm in playing the worried girlfriend.  
"… okay. Thank you, Sir.“   
When Tifa returned Elena just stopped her phone call and sat down, staring up at her host with a frown.  
"Not to sound accusing but if you had given us more information we might have prevented that.”  
“Not to sound defensive but I had reasons to not give you any more information,” Tifa looked down at her phone, biting her lip. “Who did you call?”  
“Tseng. He’ll give the necessary orders.”   
Tifa nodded.  
“He’s awake at this time?” Tifa looked up at the clock, it was just a bit to five. She had only slept a little over two hours.   
“Yeah… Sometimes I do wonder if he sleeps at all. Lack of sleep is normal for Turks but he puts it to an extreme.”   
Tifa chuckled and then sighed checking her phone AGAIN. 

Elena took her cup and a sip. She made a face. “Cold…,” she seemed to consider something because the way she walked to the stove to get another cup of coffee was a bit too relaxed. Then very nonchalantly she started to talk again: “So, when was the last time you had sex, then?”   
Tifa nearly choked on a sip of coffee she just had taken, showering herself in the liquid. Beauty and grace.  
“W… What?”   
“Come on. Dish. You owe me a story after you lied,” with new hot coffee in her cup Elena smirked again.   
"Uuhhh… I don‘t remember.“  
"Lie!“  
Tifa rolled her eyes: "It was a bad break up I don‘t want to talk about it.“  
Elenas smirk fell: "Aw, Sorry to hear that.“  
"Yeah, it was extremely stupid. He was married and his wife walked in on us. I didn‘t knew but of course she blamed me.“  
"Scumbag!“  
"Absolutely. I wasn‘t his only affair either. I just got lucky that I wasn't invested. That was… one and a half years ago? So, there is your answer.“  
"I‘m sorry. I should not have pried. I Had hoped for some girl talk but it seems like your sex life is as dull as mine. Maybe worse.“  
"Wow. Thanks.“  
"Don‘t be like that,“ Elena sighed. "I know it‘s not easy to sneak in a little bit of pleasure. Especially without having your own room or a partner with a place to stay. And this house is so badly soundproofed.“  
Tifa made a non committing sound. It was true enough. Sharing a room with Marlene and both Denzel and Cloud being light sleeper additional to her packed schedule and constant financial worries, she hasn‘t ‘sneaked in any pleasure’ for herself in quite some time. Also she was missing out on stimulation for her mind too. There was a secret stash of romance novels in a cupboard in the guest room but that was all. No wonder she was ‘set aflame’ with all that had happened. Maybe it was just sexual attraction after all.   
Tifa sat up a bit: “Talking out of experience?“  
Elena hummed in agreement: “The dorms while being a trainee, shared quarters while on-the-job training. Having to bunk with the guys on missions. All that will make you appreciate the silence and comfort of your own apartment.“  
“Hmm… then is there a way to handle it discreetly?“  
“The shower is your best friend. Both for men and women.“  
“You all did that?“  
Elena shrugged: “Well, I didn’t check in on the guys while they were in the shower. But I guess… well…,“ she hummed a bit. “I think Reno was more likely to find a random girl or boy at a bar and got to their place or a hotel room for a few hours, whenever he had to let off steam. I also found myself a man once or twice.“  
“And Rude?“ Tifa tried her best not to sound too interested.   
Elena shrugged again, walked back to the table to sit down again and then leaned her head on her hand, elbow on the table: “I guess if he ‘relaxed’ then… under the shower. I’m not sure if he ever picked up anyone. He‘s not an offensive flirt.“  
“Hah, I bet,“ Tifa tried not to think too much about how cute he was in her dream. "Hm… wait you got yourself a man once or twice?“  
“Sure…,“ Elena showed a smug smile and took a sip of her coffee.   
“Come on! I know you want to brag!“ Tifa laughed: “I’ll prepare breakfast while you tell the story.“

After that, the morning was actually pretty nice. Beside the constant fear Tifa felt. But Elena telling the story about how she was hit on in a bar and then followed an army general into his room, who had really enjoyed being dominated by the young Turk was really amusing. Meanwhile Tifa made them waffles with whipped cream and chocolate sauce, a new pot of coffee and even two alcoholic and fruity drinks.   
It was what Tifa figured a brunch date with a female friend would be like. Saucy stories, a little bit of alcohol and good food.  
It was really fun. They laughed a lot and after two relaxing hours Tifa once more realised that having Elena over as a houseguest was actually really great. Well, except if she was having dreams of the erotic kind and got questioned. 

“Anyway, as much as I enjoyed being in charge with him… it was kind of weird. He asked me if he had been a good boy in the end. I mean he was like more than double my age…,” Elena finally emptied her drink. “I’m just glad he didn’t put on diapers.”  
“What?!” Tifa laughed at that.   
“I kid you not! He had some in his suitcase. And I don’t think it was for medical reasons… I hope,” she shook her head with a frown. “An experience but not one I want to repeat.”  
“The kinkiest I did was a make out session in an alley. Oh and my wrists tied together.”  
Elena laughed: “You have to promise that you won’t tell any other Turks my story. All they know is that I had sex with the man and nothing else.” 

“I won‘t tell a living soul,” Tifa laughed again. She couldn’t imagine any situation in which she would discuss Elena’s love life with any of her male colleagues anyway. Then she realised something: “You also have to promise to never tell anyone about my dream, okay?“  
The blond woman stared at her with big eyes: “Okay?“   
Tifa extended her hand out for the blond Turk to shake.  
“If you break this promise I’ll never talk to you again and neither you nor any other of your Turk colleagues is welcome in 7th Heaven anymore and I’ll tell the story of your encounter. Got it?“  
Elena looked at the hand and up at Tifa, obviously trying to figure out why that was so important to her. The gears were visibly clicking and Elena obviously came to the conclusion that there was no way that this dream would be important to her later life but the bar would still be for some time and she really did not want any other Turk to know about the details of her liaison. So she took the hand.   
“Promised!“   
“Thank you,“ Tifa sighed in relief and looked down again. Yepp, one day people would know that she had been fake-dating Rude and Elena would make the connection that the dream had been about him.  
"Are you going to the gym tonight?“  
Tifa considered not to go because it basically meant to walk in the dragons den but on the other hand maybe Rude would be there tonight. She needed to know.   
"Yeah. It makes sense to go. I need to pay for the damage.“  
“I see. But I’ll walk with you. I don’t trust Shelly. She is shifty,” Elena stood up and collected the dirty dishes to bring them to the sink.   
“I don’t trust her either. Did your people find anything on her?”   
“No. That is part of why I don’t trust her. She is too friendly, too clean. When she comes to the bar… just too much everything. I don’t like her. Something about her does not sit well with me.”   
Tifa nodded. There had always been something about Shelly that had prevented Tifa from being too friendly with her too. It was good to know that Elena felt the same. 

Later they started to ‚repair‘ the counter of the bar. In the long run it would need to be replaced. Tifa wasn’t the worst craftsperson, doing most of the repairs in the house and she had learned a lot in her days with AVALANCHE. But she was no professional and she really did a number on it when she had punched it in her anger.   
“You should write an invoice to ShinRa. This is Renos fault after all.”   
“Good idea,” Tifa grunted sitting half in the cupboard under the bar, pressing her hands against the tabletop, while Elena carefully nailed a small plank over the broken part.   
“This should do the trick, the other side now?”   
“Yeah, give me the hammer, nails and the plank.”   
Elena was holding a lamp in one hand and used her other to keep the plank in place, so Tifa was able to nail this one over her head.   
“Don’t get angry but do you know who is really good with stuff like that?”   
Tifa almost started to laugh, hindered by the nails in her mouth. That couldn’t be true?   
When she had finished and came out of the cupboard again, sweating and tired she smirked at Elena.   
“You’re joking, right? Is there anything Rude can’t do?”  
“He’s not good with words. Or human interaction. Don’t tell him I said it but he’s really shy. And I think he once said that he does not like math. Which is weird because when he is building bombs he needs to do a lot of math.”  
Again Tifa laughed, carefully fishing for her phone, seeing no message but a missed call from Cloud. She’d call him back as soon as she was done here.   
“But seriously, if something breaks in my apartment I ask for Rudes opinion. He’s very crafty and if he can’t repair it, he can tell what is broken and how much it will cost to repair. That is very useful too.”   
“But why?” Dancing, cooking, handcrafts, clean flat… he sounded like a cliché wife… and like a great husband. Now he only needed to be good with kids and he would be perfect. Tifa could feel her face heat up again.   
“My guess, because Reno is a walking, talking disaster who breaks everything in his way. Figuratively. And Literally,” Elena gestured to the thin plank that was now on the top of the bar, looking rather ugly. Tifa bit her nail, thinking a bit. Maybe…   
“Speaking of Reno, why was he trying to sell Rude so hard?”   
Elena huffed, shaking her head and then shrugged a bit, debating with herself before she again shook her head: “He has taken that idea into his head that you two, you and Rude should date because he thinks you are a match. And I kind of understand and agree, but Reno is not very subtle in his attempts to play wingman…” 

There were no words. Nothing could have prepared Tifa for that plot twist that was the story of her life. She started to laugh and had to sit down, gasping for air because this was too ridiculous. Her whole life was a fucking joke to someone who probably right now laughed along not out of desperation but because they thought it was so fucking funny. Fuck them! Fuck everything!   
Elena squatted down beside her, looking very worried, until Tifa calmed down again. She was so tired. 

“I need to call Cloud back. Can you prepare the bar for tonight? Thank you,” without another glance at Elena Tifa stood up and walked up to the apartment, to call her best friend, hoping for some good news. It wasn’t exactly good news but normal enough for Tifa to be glad to hear it. They had reached the Chocobo Farm this evening and would stay until Thursday morning, to continue to Fort Condor and then return on Saturday. Yuffy was still with them while Barret, Marlene and Nanaki travelled with Cid aboard the Shera.   
Tifa looked forward to seeing everyone again soon but still felt very worried and that was probably noticeable in her voice because of course Cloud asked if she was okay.   
"I‘m just tired. I only slept two hours,“ she did not want to worry him.   
"Just that?“  
She sighed. Cloud was her best friend and he deserved some truth.  
"I haven‘t heard from my boyfriend for two days. I‘m worried.“  
Cloud was silent for a few moments.  
"There had been weeks with me gone and no life sign…,“ he did sound confused.  
Tifa laughed at that. Goddess!  
"That was a bit different. I was kind of used to that and the circumstances... But don’t think I wasn’t worried sick every time too! Anyway, I‘m sure I‘ll see him tonight.“  
Again Cloud was silent before he answered, worry in his voice: "Okay. Just be careful.“  
"Of course. See you soon!“  
“See you.”   
Tifa bit her lip while looking down at the phone. Again she typed a message to send to Rudes phone: “See you at the gym tonight?”   
Maybe they would finally come for her and she could FINALLY punch someone. She felt anger bubble up. With determination, she shook her head and decided to do yoga and breathing exercises to focus again. And then she would call Tseng to tell him what she knew.   
Maybe the Mafia would attack tonight. Her time would come. 

That evening Reno was not at the bar and Tifa was glad about it because she might have kicked him out again. After her outbreak the day before only a few regular patrons had come in to get their after-hour beer and to ask Tifa if she was okay. It actually warmed her heart to know that people cared. 

And she was glad that Elena walked with her to the gym, while she couldn’t stop peeking at her phone. When they stepped in she looked at Shelly who greeted her with a sad stare and a shake of her head: “I’m sorry Tifa. No word from Rudolph.”   
Tifa bit her lip. Elena did not know Rudes cover name, the name of her ‘boyfriend’ and she wondered if it was too obvious? But Tifa also did not look over to the Turk to see her reaction. That could have caused suspicion. Instead she sighed and looked down to the floor.   
“He also did not answer my messages so… maybe he’s really…”   
“Tifa, the offer stands. If you need a shoulder to cry on, I’m here for you.”   
“Thanks. It’s fine. It’s only been…,” Tifa again shook her head. Right there was no way someone would fall in love in not even two weeks. “Hey, you know Elena? She is working at the bar and was so nice to come with me tonight,” Tifa gestured to the woman beside her, glancing over. Elena’s face was very friendly but there was tension around her eyes.   
“Hey! You’re Shelly, right? I think we met at the bar,” the blond held out her hand. The woman behind the counter grabbed it, also a friendly smile on her face, but Tifa could see her thin arm and hand putting too much force in the handshake.   
Well, the antipathy was mutual it seemed.   
“Nice to officially meet you. I’m glad that Tifa is not alone in this hard time. Men are such scumbags.”  
“Some are,” Elena nodded. “Hey Tifa, you wanted to get your stuff?”  
“Are you leaving the gym?!” Shellys eyes grew wide and she sounded shocked.   
“No… I just won’t train for some time. I’ll come back again but… I need a little time. I just get my stuff and on my way back I’ll give you a check for the damage I did.”  
“Oh. Okay. I see.”   
Tifa smiled at the woman behind the counter, before she walked inside the gym towards the lockers, to get the things she kept there.   
Elena was constantly looking around. When Tifa had collected everything she turned to the blond Turk: “Do you want to see the training room?”  
“Sure.”   
Tifa led her to the room. The boxing sack now stood in another corner. The crack in the wall and ceiling was still visible.   
“Holy shit. Remind me to never get on your bad side,” Elena let her eyes travel around the room. Tifa also looked around, thinking about the last one and a half weeks, feeling again panic and worry in the pit of her stomach. Breathing suddenly felt so much harder.   
“Let’s go home. I need a drink.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah, I tried until the last moment to get the lemon chapter done but I couldn't fill the gaps which is annoying because I'm so close to finish it but... 
> 
> anyway I'll have to change a bit in one later chapter but that is fine. I hadn't been satisfied anyway... ah I'll stop ranting now. Maybe it's better this way. 
> 
> Also: Kinks between two consensual adults who are on the same page are something good.


	22. Abduction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 37 - Wednesday

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Misogyny, Violence, Threats of Rape...  
Shit goes down from now on.

Maybe she should have seen it coming. No. Not maybe. Definitely! As soon as she had read the message she had known it was fake. Too many words and the sentences too long. 

“Tifa, I need you to meet me. It is really, really important that you come alone to meet me. I want to say sorry for staying silent for three days, this was completely my fault so I understand if you don’t want to see me but please give me a chance to explain myself. Please meet me at the following address. Love Rudolph.” 

And also she couldn’t imagine Rude throwing around the word love so loosely. If anything it was a warning. It stung a bit to read it in a message that was supposed to lead her into a trap.   
Rude had warned her to never go anywhere alone and to avoid lonely and badly lit alleys. The address was a warehouse in a badly lit alley so she decided to listen to him partly. She had asked Elena to come with her. As ‘emotional support’. That wasn’t suspicious and very reasonable. They had been prepared.  
And still it hadn‘t been enough.   
Tifa had trusted her own abilities and actually believed that the Turks, who were supposed to keep an eye on her, would not be knocked out or exterminated. Goddess, she hoped they were fine. What kind of life was she living now to worry about ShinRa employees? But mostly she worried about Elena. 

Honestly, the trust in their abilities was not off target; it was just not enough. She really had done her best to fight the mobsters that were waiting for them, she alone effectively knocked out at least five, fought off a couple more and used her max ice Materia on another few but this time they had also been better prepared and petrified her. She hated that. Elena had done well too, her hand-to-hand combat was amazing and she had shot some down but in the end that also had not been enough. They petrified her too. 

Surprisingly Tifa did not panic.  
At least everything would soon be over, one way or another. Elena had most certainly told Reno or Tseng before they left. And when one was on the loose and the other one used his brain, things would go ugly for their enemies real soon... she hoped.   
And then there was Rude. If he was still in the clear and he had been correct, then the Mafia would tell him now where the fights were happening.  
Deep down, with some horror Tifa understood that she really had to trust the Turks now. Fucking hell. 

Another few bodies were also thrown into the van. She couldn‘t see who they were. The guys she had knocked out or other Rookie Turks who would soon find themselves in the clutches of the Mafia too. What a shitty day.

After a ride that felt like hours they were dragged out of the van and along corridors that looked similar to the one in the club. Finally they were thrown in a cell and Gold Needle was used on them. Finally the door to their cell was thrown shut with a loud bang that shrilled through Tifa's whole being. 

With a groan Tifa rolled to her back, trying to will a feeling back into her numb limbs. Fucking Vagyrisk Claw. At least their enemies didn’t have any summoning Materia. That would be really bad. She tried to open her eyes: ‘I hope I did not just think that into reality with my bad luck.’  
With a groan she closed her eyes against the light again. Her head felt like it had been split open. The last time she had felt like this was when she had been drinking the first time: “Fuck.”   
“Tifa?”   
She opened her eyes again, trying to find Elena but gave up after a moment.   
“Yeah?”  
“Are you okay?”  
Tifa huffed closing her eyes when a surge of pain went from her head through her whole body.   
“No… but not injured. You?”  
“Same…”   
They fell silent and soon after asleep. 

A loud bang caused Tifa to leap up in a sitting position, with wide eyes she looked around, spying for Elena who had sprung up and went into a fighting stance. How could they have been so stupid and be completely reckless to not stay on guard?  
Turning back she could see a man grinning at them through the metal-bars of their cell.  
“Good morning, sleeping beauty. Better get changed you have to be on stage soon,” with that he left and Tifa looked around to find a linen sack. With a grunt she stood up and carefully walked to the sack, amazed that her legs were working, looking around to get a feeling for the room. In one corner stood a bucket probably for releasing themselves. In another corner was something like a plank bed with thin blankets thrown over it. Besides that, the room was empty and the walls and floor looked like concrete. From the corner of her eye she could see Elena walking to the bars and checking the lock as well as the gaps in between.   
Tifa opened the linen sack and found a top and a skirt not unlike her old fighting clothes. But shorter. WAY shorter. She did not understand why she should wear this to fight?  
“Hey, can anyone hear me?”   
Tifa turned to look at Elena who tried to look through the bars to find if anyone else was captured.   
“Elena?” a thin voice answered.   
“Yeah! Who’s that?”  
“Anne! And Jack is here. I also see Paul and Klaus!”   
“All right, Rookies! Stay calm but vigilant! Help is on it’s way.”   
“Yes, Ma’am!”  
Elena smiled. Then she turned to look at Tifa.   
“How are you?”  
“Better… look at this!” She held up the clothes still staring at them, feeling the thin cloth between her fingers. “They want me to wear this for the fight.   
“And you will.” 

Tifa’s head snapped up to see the man from before. He had grabbed Elena on her hair and pulled her towards the bars, a knife to her throat and her arms held by another man.  
“Let her go!” Tifa snarled. Elena looked at least as pissed as she felt.   
"Strip and then get in your new cute clothes or your friend will lose a lot of blood soon. Or maybe we‘ll have some fun first. Your decision, Sleeping Beauty.“

Once more Tifa let her eyes roam over the scene before her. Elena was unable to free herself and Tifa had no chance to attack. She huffed and started to open her jacket to let it drop beside her. Then she changed her clothes in a very effective way. Top off, new top on, jeans off, skirt on. She was glad that she wore boy shorts as underwear. She did her best to ignore the whispers that poor Elena had to listen to, while staring at the ceiling, breath ragged because of her rage. 

When Tifa was done she felt dirty but looked over to the two guards, head held high: "Now let her go!“  
“Put your old clothes in the sack and give it to us. Your shoes too. We don’t want you to change back when we go.”   
Tifa did as said and walked to the bars to push the sack with her clothes through. As soon as it hit the ground they did let Elena go, who stumbled forward. Fists clenched and a face that made clear that she was ready to rip someone's throat out. Preferably of the two guys who now looked more than pleased with themselves.  
“Very nice. We’ll be sure to watch you fight. And maybe we can see each other later, Blondie. I like small girls.” With that the warden left again while his helper made a kissy-face towards the two women.   
Elena started to scream and kicked their empty bucked against the wall, giving it a big dent and making a loud metallic noise. Tifa flinched a bit but she understood Elenas frustration.   
“These ASSHOLES! When I’m getting out of here I’ll put them down like the rabid dogs they are!”   
Tifa watched the blond pace until she finally stopped, closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Then she turned to Tifa: “You need to get ready.”   
Tifa nodded she tried to calm down too and since she lacked another idea she started with the routine Rude had shown her. Yoga and breathing and stretching. It really helped her to relax and concentrate.   
She could hear Elena gasp at some point but ignored it. She would ask her after she was finished. She never got the chance.   
Almost as soon as she was done a group of Mafia-goons came and walked into the cell, keeping her in check with Materia and weapons. Tifa raised her hands, gave a final nod to Elena and followed the men. Tifa passed the cells with the other Turks they all watched with tense faces. She answered with an encouraging smile and a nod.   
She could do this. After a short while they finally stopped in front of a Tunnel exit that led up. Tifa could see bright lights and hear shouting and even some music.  
This wasn’t good.   
“Well, Sleeping Beauty I hope you are ready to rumble.”   
Suddenly a voice boomed from loudspeakers making Tifa flinch once more.   
**“Please give a thunderous applause for our main act!” **  
Tifa felt herself being pushed forward. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly, a lot of not-nice people appear in this story :T it will become worse but then better in the end. So, if anyone still sticks around, reading this... thanks a bunch!  
I added a few more tags.


	23. Fight! Fight! Fight!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 38 - Thursday

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content warning: Minor Character death & more violence

This felt unreal! And that was her saying this after all the crazy stuff she had already experienced.  
When her eyes finally got used to the blinding light she realised where she was. The platform she was standing on was completely surrounded by a fence. She could hear the high pitched humming of the electricity surging through it. Behind the fence she could make out rows and rows of people watching. They cheered and shouted but it all became a loud static that she ignored because this… this whole cage… all this energy. And not positive. It was angry and leering and stressful. It stressed her more than the fact that she was going to fight against an unknown enemy soon.  
Not by far, though. She did hate the energy but also the fact that she would fight in clothes too small and that she had no idea what exactly was going to happen. She hated the fact that she didn‘t know if any of these people were on her side or only wanted to see her executed.   
**“Welcome to our main act, the infamous second in command of the terror group AVALANCHE, Hero of Meteorfall and of the Attack of Bahamut Sin! Master of Weaponless Combat and Owner of the bar 7th Heaven: Tifa Lockhart!“**  
The erupting noise was almost unbearable. She flinched and bit down on her lip and clenched her fists to not throw her hands over her ears, determined not to show any weakness. When it finally stopped she was breathing hard like she had already been fighting a whole army. When this was over she would never again go to any gathering with more than twenty people.   
**“As announced she will only fight volunteers tonight to give a preview of what is to come tomorrow.“**  
Fucking assholes. She nervously wet her lip, tasting blood where she had bitten down too hard.   
**“You can find the first opponents profile as well as all the following fights in your program. A total of five! So don’t forget to set your bets!“**  
Great. They gave her nothing to work with. Not that it mattered. She would do what she had to do, so this mission became a success. She just needed to get through this. Help was on its way. Again she started to breath in a way Rude had shown her, to calm down, trying to forget her worry. A small surge of thankfulness went through her and she wondered if he was already in the building maybe even watching.   
**“Let‘s get started! Welcome to our first challenger“**

Tifa turned around and saw an older looking man walking in the arena. He might have been strong in his younger days, a warrior from Wutai, but now he didn‘t look like a match to her. But he had many scars and his eyes were wild. Impossible to know how he would fight.  
Even if it seemed almost cynical she bowed to him. He did not answer in the same.  
All right, she sighed and got into a fighting stance eyeing him carefully.   
It only took a moment and he attacked very fast. More on instinct than anything else she sidestepped and kicked him in the side, making him stumble. The kick was - by far - not as powerful as intended, thanks to the skirt. Fuck that. While Tifa's opponent struggled to regain his footing she ripped open the side of the skirt, almost up to the hip. showing off the rest of her leg to the audience. The reactions were hooting and wolf whistles. Disgusting and most certainly exactly what the organizers of this event had hoped for.  
**“Look at that! The first attack was just a warm wind. But as a thanks, you all get to see this beautiful leg in all its strength!“**

She turned back to her opponent: “If you stop now I won‘t hurt you.“   
“There is no stopping,“ he growled as an answer, making Tifa wonder if he really was here as a volunteer. “Either you kill me or I‘ll find my death after the fight.“  
Her eyes grew wide: “W… what?“   
“Do you really think anyone wants to fight here? We are all slaves and now you‘re one too.“  
His eyes were cold and barred of emotion. Tifa shuddered.  
“Don‘t act like you have never killed before, girl. Hell, this isn‘t even murder. I‘m already dead and it‘s not because of you.“  
She shook her head: “This is insane!“  
Around them the audience started to become agitated. Boos and whistles could be heard. With wide eyes Tifa saw a couple of beer cans being thrown on the fence causing sparks. Tifa felt her heart rate pacing up again.  
“Fight and kill or they will punish us.“  
“Punish…?“

As if he had talked it into existence Tifa felt the electricity surge through her body, locking all her muscles in a hurtful spasm. When it stopped she fell to one knee.   
“Shit…,“ she groaned.  
“That is the punishment!“ the man shouted, attacking without mercy.   
Unable to dodge, Tifa blocked his kick to her head with her arms and then rolled away, turning fast to sweep his legs and then jumped back to get distance between them. She wasn‘t thinking clearly, with white dots before her eyes she watched her enemy stand up again. For a brief second she wondered how often he had been shocked to build up such a resistance against it. She could hear the crowd cheer and the announcer also saying something: **“Because you are new to the arena this was only a warning. Fight or be punished, Tifa. Those are the rules.“**  
“Fuck off!“ she mumbled, shaking her head once more to get the numbness out of her body. Again the man attacked and again she dodged and brought distance between them.  
**“Tifa, you have to fight! That is what the audience wants! Or else you get electrocuted again!“**  
Tifa knew this voice, where did she know the voice from? Either way, the announcer's voice had already burned itself in her mind and would haunt her forever… no matter how long she would still live.  
“You can‘t defy them. Fight!“ Again her opponent attacked.  
For a moment it felt like someone had cast Slow. She didn‘t want this. None of this. She wondered how much Rude knew was happening here and if that was the reason he didn‘t want her to be caught. She thought of him and the Turks and her friends and Marle and Denzel. Her kids. She could not die here. 

Again she dodged but this time she used the momentum to kick and she aimed for his neck.  
For a second she felt a pang of guilt but if she had to kill she wanted it to be as fast and painless as possible.   
The old man fell to the ground like a sack of potatoes. Not caring for her surroundings, all the noise just became static in the background, she walked up to the body and turned him… it… the eyes were empty. Still she felt for a pulse. Nothing.   
She exhaled. Suddenly she heard all the uproar of excitement wash over her and she had to close her eyes. This was wrong.  
**“… after an impressive first kill is the winner Tifa Lockhart!“**  
Tifa wanted to vomit but instead she stared at the people rushing into the cage, four of them prepared to use Materia against her and two others who dragged the lifeless body out.   
**“We’ll immediately continue with the second fight!” **  
Fuck.

After the fourth fight Tifa wondered why they only sent in men and women who were already at the end of their life. So she would do the Mafias dirty job? She felt so tired. Emotionally drained. She just wanted to crawl into bed and sleep for days.   
All of these people had been once strong fighters and now they were put to rest to go back into the lifestream. It was a weird comfort for Tifa to know that they, as warriors, died in a fight and would finally find peace after an awful life. Maybe they were volunteers after all. And the crowd cheered. She felt a dull pain in her arm, caused by one especially hard hit from her third fight. Her lip was split and she felt a black eye swelling thanks to her latest opponent. Her knee was scraped from when she had hit the ground after the electric surge. But that all meant she was still alive. Pain meant she was alive. Because she did not feel like it.  
Just one more fight. 

Again she turned but this time her eyes widened. They shoved in Elena.  
“NO!“  
“Tifa!“ her eyes were wide too, but she also looked determined.   
**“And the latest opponent for today! She is a former Turk…“** the audience erupted in loud booing noises, shouts and whistles, **“… and now a barmaid in 7th Heaven! Elena! Second name unknown.“**  
The verbal abuse became even louder.

Tifa ignored it.  
“Elena, I won't fight you.“  
“Tifa…“  
“No! I won‘t fight you!“  
“Tifa, they will kill you!“ Elena walked up to her and her face was stern.   
“Forget it!“ Tifa shook her head. And then shouted: “I WON‘T FIGHT HER!!“   
The audience became silent for a moment and Tifa again shouted: “I WON‘T FIGHT HER!“   
It was dead silent. And then they were electrocuted again. The audience exploded in cheers. This time they both fell when it ceased.   
“Tifa…,“ Elena groaned, trying to roll over.  
“No! I WON‘T FIGHT HER!“   
“You‘re so fucking stubborn…,“ Elena laughed.  
Tifa actually laughed along.  
**“But Tifa, if you don‘t fight her then we will kill you both,“** the announcer explained like Tifa was a stupid child.   
“No, you won‘t,“ Tifa once more willed her body to stand up and walked over to Elena who also slowly stood up. “YOU WON‘T KILL US! NOT IF YOU WANT ME TO FIGHT TOMORROW!“   
Again the room was silent and Elena looked at Tifa with a frown.  
“If you kill me or hurt Elena I won‘t fight tomorrow. AND I‘M SURE YOU DON‘T WANT TO DISAPPOINT YOUR CUSTOMERS, RIGHT?!“   
A confused mumble went through the crowd. Tifa ignored it. She just looked at Elena: “I won‘t fight you. I can stomach killing people who had given up… but… you… you‘re… a friend. I can‘t kill you… I‘m…“   
“Tifa… it‘s okay,“ Elena shook her head. “I‘m prepared to die if necessary. It’s my job to protect you.“  
“No… I… You stupid Turks and your will to follow your orders to a T,“ Tifa laughed again out of pure despair.  
Determined Elena smiled too: “Biggest strength and greatest weakness.“  
While the two women had talked the crowd had started to make noise again. The sound had become so loud that the announcer struggled to be heard.  
**“Because of technical problems the last fight will be skipped. I hope you‘re happy, Tifa. Because tomorrow we will get you back for this. Now, EVERYONE LEAVE!“ **  
The crowd was booted out not without struggle but Tifa didn‘t really care. With a sigh of relief her whole body started to shake. Elena was immediately at her side to hold her. Goddess, she was so pathetic.  
“It‘s okay,“ Elena tried to soothe her.   
“I killed them… They did nothing but try to survive and I killed them,“ Tifa sobbed but no tears fell. 

Again they were electrocuted and a couple of goons spilled in to grab the women and pull them out of the cage. Even if she had wanted to, Tifa was in no state to fight. She just wanted to sleep and so she gave in and everything went dark.

She dreamt of Nibelheim. Cloud was there. She saw him put down his phone with a frown. Then he turned and recognized her: “Tifa! Are you okay?“ His voice was filled with worry and she wanted to tell him that she was fine but that would be a lie. So she shook her head:  
“No.“  
“Tifa, hang in there! We‘re home soon!“ He had walked up to her, fear in his eyes. Fear that he would lose another friend.  
“Cloud, please. I will… but in the case of…“  
“No! You can’t die! I won‘t allow it.“  
Tifa laughed bitterly. What would she have given a few years ago for him to be so worried. Now it only gave her grief because she caused him pain. She never wanted to cause him pain. But there were other things to think about.  
“Stay strong, Cloud. Denzel needs you. Marlene has Barret but Denzel is yours. Don't ever forget that,“ her voice did not leave room for discussion because she knew Cloud. She feared he would become distant again and leave Denzel to fight for himself if she died. “You are not alone Cloud. Never. And none of this is your fault! I sent you away to protect you!“  
“Tifa…,“ he sounded so pained. The wish to protect and to help was really running in their family. She shook her head, smiling because even while saying goodbye she was giving him a pep talk.  
“I love you Cloud but talking to you is very frustrating.“  
He answered with a smile and a huff.  
So, Tifa continued: “Tell the kids I love them. And our friends too. I love them. Give the Turks my thanks and…“   
“Yeah?“  
“And if he survives and I don’t, tell Rude I‘m sorry I won‘t be able to eat his breakfast.“  
Cloud's blue eyes became as big as saucers and Tifa laughed.  
“Really? Rude is your boyfriend?“  
She nodded with a smirk: “It’s complicated but… I guess… It was fun… but that does not matter at the moment.“  
The Ex-Soldiers eyes furrowed: “Breakfast? Is… is he a good cook?“   
There was a different meaning to this question. They had always been too awkward to discuss stuff like emotions and relationships out in the open. It had been part of why their relationship did not work out, had never become more. But she knew him well enough to understand. She had no idea what exactly her feelings were which meant that she could not answer if she really loved him. So Tifa shook her head: “I can‘t tell yet.“  
“Hm… I hope you‘ll find out soon. I love you too, Tifa. Please! Survive!“  
She nodded with a smile and then woke up, in a barely lit cell, cuddled up to Elena for warmth. With a sad smile she fell asleep again. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel so sorry for what I do to Tifa but she is strong. She can pull through...I'm glad she is not alone in that shitshow. 
> 
> Also friendship? I'm soft for that. Platonic love is at least as important as romantic love. Friendship is love.


	24. FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 39 - Friday

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content warning: blood and cursing

The next… morning? - they woke up so Tifa decided to call it a morning - someone brought the two women something that might count as breakfast. It tasted more like paper maché than anything else. But it filled the stomach.   
First Elena did not want to eat it in case it was poisoned but Tifa was sure that they would indeed try to keep Tifa alive for some time longer. And if Elena would be killed off, Tifa would not fight.   
“You don’t know that! It’s a dangerous game,“ the Turk murmured, sniffing on the ‘food’.   
“Elena, it is the only leverage we have. And it worked yesterday. They have been on my heels for two weeks. That is an investment. They want me to fight. They probably sell tickets and they probably hope for high bets,“ she tried to eat some of the porridge, which wasn’t easy without a spoon and fingers that were still dirty from yesterday's fight.   
All they had was a bowl of water and they needed that to drink. Tifa craved a shower.   
“Hey, Tifa… you know that concentration exercise and warm up you did yesterday… it seemed familiar,“ Elena finally decided to try the breakfast but her nose still scrunched.   
“How so?“  
“The figures and the sequence… I know only one person to do it that way.“  
Tifa halted and turned to look at Elena who picked at her food.   
“I…,“ was there a way to deny it?   
Suddenly Elena started to laugh: “It’s actually hilarious because it explains everything. Why he didn‘t report back or why you and that guy became a couple so soon. Many of your reactions or questions. Or why I‘ll keep the dream a secret.“  
“You… will?“  
Elena shrugged: “Sure. At least until you two figured yourself out.“ The blond Turks brows furrowed like she just remembered something: “Did you know that Rude had a very big crush on you for the longest time?“  
Tifa’s open mouth and wide eyes were probably answer enough because Elena started to laugh about the expression.   
“I might… have heard something but… Is that also a reason why Reno said all those things? … wait, what do you mean ‚had‘?“  
“A year or so ago, he started to date again and after Reno asked he admitted that he was over you.“  
“… oh? W… well.“  
“Un-fucking-believabe!” Elena laughed again. “Maybe when this is over and we kicked your gym-boyfriends ass for leaving you we can arrange a romantic meeting between you and Rude,“ her tone was almost mocking and left Tifa very amused and confused because now she had no idea what to feel anymore. As if it hadn’t been confusing enough before. In her dream Rude had mentioned something along the lines of him being in love with her but had tried to give up on her. But also that it didn‘t work. 

“Oh, you two having a nice girl talk? And you didn‘t invite me?“ on the other side of the metal bars stood Shelly, flanked by yesterday's guard and his friend. Tifa had to look twice because Shelly seemed so different from her usual jeans and colourful shirts, now with her hair pinned up, wearing a two part dress that an office lady would choose and a mocking smile on her face.  
Of course! Shelly was the announcer. No wonder the voice had seemed familiar! Tifa felt stupid for not realizing it earlier.  
“You… why?“  
The woman shrugged: “It pays good. As a headhunter for fighting tournaments I get provisions, additional to the salary at the gym.“  
Again Tifa felt tired and she shook her head. It was alway money. Always profit while exploiting the planet, humans, animals…  
“Aww, Tif! Don‘t be like that. The audience loved you for your performance yesterday. Ripping open that skirt? I‘m sure some of them nutted just then. The ending was a bit of a surprise,“ Shellys eyes became harder and colder while they travelled to Elena who glared at the other woman in return.  
“But in the end it made them yearn for more. Today's performance will go down in history. I look forward to an exciting fight or maybe to seeing you break down and cry. I‘ll be fine with both.“  
“Why should I?“ Tifa wouldn‘t cry. She never cried.  
“Because betrayal by a loved one can be heart wrenching,“ Shelly chuckled at Tifa's expression which was nothing but confusion. “Ah, women are so pathetic. They trust and fall in love and then cry when they are let down,“ her eyes were still cold but her smile bright.   
Now it slowly dawned to Tifa where this was leading and her eyes widened. Oh boy this would be interesting.   
Shelly droned on in her monologue: “Worst are the women who think they are tough and don’t need a man until one comes after them. Suddenly they are all lovey dovey and weak. Weak women are disgusting they deserve what men do to them…,“

Before anyone else knew what was happening Elena had jumped forward, reached through the bars, grabbed Shelly by the collar and pulled her in. Tifa could hear a nasty sound and saw red being spilled. Elena had used enough force to give their ‘host’ a laceration.  
“YOU FUCKING BITCH!“ Shelly held both hands to her forehead.  
“MEET ME IN THE ARENA AND I'LL SHOW YOU WHO‘S WEAK!“ Elena shouted back.  
That outburst came as a surprise to Tifa but all she cared about right now was to keep Elena safe from the revenge that was likely to come.   
“Taser her!“  
With two long staffs the guards poked Elena who immediately got electrocuted.   
“Stop! Or I won‘t fight!“ Tifa screamed, staring back at the assaultants   
The wardens stopped and Shelly watched Tifa rush over to Elena who groaned, landing on the ground.  
“You have one more hour, Tifa. Then you will probably face your demise and as soon as you’re dead your little friend will follow. I‘ll take care of that,“ with that, blood still dripping down her face Shelly walked away. 

Tifa shuddered. To think she had almost considered her a friend.   
“Elena! Are you okay?“  
Again the Turk groaned: “Remind me to thank Reno for the training with his rod.“  
Tifa laughed wyrily: “Are you sure you want to phrase it like that?“  
“Nah… god I hate women who think we are less than men,“ with a little help she got into a sitting position. “I‘m sure you can beat everyone she sends in.“  
Tifa shook her head: “I‘m going to fight my… boyfriend. I‘m going to fight Rudolph.“  
For a second Elena blinked and then she started to laugh like she had never heard anything that was even remotely as funny, falling back down to lie on the floor. Tifa smiled along still trying to figure out how to solve this mess. Finally the blond calmed down again: “Rudolph? Holy shit! Of course! I almost forgot about that!… well, if you survive you‘re single again and you can really give Rude a chance.“  
“You‘re the worst. Seriously I think Reno has rubbed off on you.“  
“Ew! Don‘t say stuff like that!“ Elena continued to laugh. “And now?“  
Tifa shrugged.  
“Maybe it‘s not him?“ Elena suggested.   
“No. It‘s him. Everything Shelly had said, the fact that he trained me, our romance… it just fits the drama craving mind of hers.“  
The other woman stared at Tifa.   
“He would never really hurt you,“ she finally whispered.   
Tifa smiled a little bit sad.   
“I guess…“  
“Do you trust him?“  
“We‘ll see.“  
“That is shitty. You love him but you don‘t trust him?“  
“I don‘t trust ShinRa or their employees.“  
“Bullshit,“ Elena suddenly sounded angry. She sat up again. “You trust us. You have to. I lived with you for two weeks. You said I‘m your friend! You let Reno sit longer in the bar than other customers. You trust us at least in some aspects! And you should absolutely trust him.“  
Tifa did not answer because Elena was right! Goddess, her life was screwed up.   
“You know, you didn‘t disagree with me saying you‘re in love…,“ the Turk poked the brunette in her arm who groaned in frustration. Tifa really needed to learn not to fall into such traps.   
“Your attack was surprising,“ she noted, trying to change the subject.   
“I may be a little bit stressed,“ Elena shrugged. Tifa smiled at the other woman who continued: “I know people like to underestimate me. But I am a Turk. I am both a master with weapons and martial arts.“   
Tifa nodded. She had seen Elena fight. Turks were killing machines and she was one of them.  
“I probably wouldn‘t stand a chance against you, though. In hand to hand combat that is…,“ the blond added.   
“You don‘t know that. But I‘m glad I don‘t have to fight you.“

The guards passed by and threw in another sack and a potion: “Get ready for your fight, Sleeping Beauty.“  
Tifa grinded her teeth but walked up to inspect the clothes.   
It was basically underwear.   
“I can‘t wear that to fight!“  
“Then fight naked. I don‘t mind!“ and with that the men walked away again.   
Elena joined her and also looked at the little pieces of cloth, while Tifa drank half of the potion.  
“That is ridiculous. Just stick to yesterday’s stuff.“  
“I can’t. The skirt is almost completely ripped. The top too and stained I‘m actually happy when I get that off. But I can‘t fight in this,“ she held up the new top that was more like a see through negligee. “I mean I guess it will be fine with my bra on but this?“ The skirt was literally not much more than a couple of belts sewn together. “I mean what is that? Fetish gear?“  
“I could lend you my clothes.“  
Tifa looked at her companion: “What?“  
“My shirt and trousers. I mean… at least try it.“  
“What about you?“  
“Who needs skirts if you have short pants under your trousers?“ Elena grinned.

40 minutes later Tifa was outside the arena, waiting to be let in. The black t-shirt was too tight but it hid a good part of her upper body.  
The dark blue jeans had been a struggle too. Elena was just slimmer than her. But she had been able to slip in and do her warm-up exercise in them and even a split, so fighting should be possible. Also she had tried to give Elena the other half of the potion who had then berated Tifa to “Fucking drink the stupid potion, you idiot!“

When the guards had come to get them, the group had stared in shock at the two women because now Tifa did not look like a porn actress but like an action heroine, with the hair in a loose ponytail. Elena herself looked like a character from a video game, with short pants, the belt-skirt crossing over her hips and the negligee under her suit jacket. Nothing looked even remotely like it belonged together.   
The men had no idea how to react but again Tifa had used her argument: if they did not leave her and Elena alone she would not fight and after the mobsters made a call, most certainly to Shelly, the two women had been dragged out, again keeping them in check with multiple Materia and electro-rods.  
It was kind of satisfying that their enemy was this afraid of two small women.  
Elena had been led away to have “The best view possible to see the fight,“ as her watchdogs explained but before that she had smiled and squeezed Tifa’s hand to comfort her: “See you later.“ 

Tifa took another deep breath waiting to be finally let into the arena. If she really had to fight Rude she would need to look surprised, would need to read his movement correctly and need to act angry. This wouldn‘t be easy.   
The door opened and loud cheers and bright light spilled in. Before she was allowed to step out two of the men around her ran into the arena and seconds later were dragging in a bloody but alive person.   
Tifa could feel her stomach twist and she felt sick smelling the blood.  
Rude had done that.   
But it wasn‘t like she was without fault. She had killed four people yesterday.   
She inhaled again, hearing the announcer - Shelly - animating the crowd.   
“Let’s give a warm welcome to the last fighter tonight, yesterday's champion… TIFA LOCKHART!“  
She felt herself being pushed forward and started to walk through the door and onto the platform.   
Again she stood in the arena, fence all around her, brimming with electricity, rows and rows of a screaming audience booing and cheering.   
This time Rude was waiting there in workout clothes, white tank top and dark trousers, with blood on them and on his fists. And of course there was no reaction from him. 

Tifa started to laugh before she shouted: “WHAT THE FUCK?!“ It really helped that she felt very frustrated right now.   
**“Ohhhh nice reaction! Tifa, now you can decide who you want dead. Your lover or your friend. Say hello, Elena.“**  
A loud cacophony of boos and abuse erupted and Tifa flinched a bit, grinding her teeth. She hadn’t even known that she reacted so badly to loud noises until recently.  
**“First of all, fuck you all!“** Elena’s voice could be heard through the system. And she got booed again. **“Second of all, Tifa kick that asshole's ass!“**   
A smile appeared on Tifa’s face. She imagined she could even see a little humor in Rudes face too. She swallowed before she continued: “Rudolph, what is going on? Why are you here?“   
“I really enjoyed our tryst but I’m with them. I’m their champion. I won’t hold back,“ he actually smiled at her and she really hoped she never had to see that one again. It was cold and terrifying. And her heart broke a little bit, even if she knew this was just an act. She hoped.   
“W… what?“  
He shrugged almost looked bored: “You were a decent fuck.“   
“You can’t be serious!“ Goddess, she hated his acting skills and she hated how she could hear Shelly cackle and the audience hooting and whistling.  
“Well, I can‘t say the same about your weak performance!“   
“Let’s dance,“ he attacked. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many women in this story have a lot of anger issues and a lot of violent tendencies. Noice. 
> 
> And also more plot. So, Shelly is not a nice person. It's funny because that was now how it was planned in the beginning. She was supposed to be just a side character but somehow sneaked herself up and got promoted.  
Women can be misogynistic too.
> 
> Last: wow! 9 kudos! :D I‘m amazed


	25. To the rescue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 39 - Friday to Saturday

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content: explosions, blood, guns, vomiting... it‘s not a nice chapter. A few people get shot, some killed. Feelings get hurt.  
But be aware that in the end everything will work out for the main characters.

As so often her first instinct was to dodge. So she did that. She jumped out of the way, rolled and sprung up again to attack. But she was still unsure about the whole situation. She hesitated and became too slow. He grabbed her arm and pulled her in. For a split second Tifa got afraid. In a real fight this could have been a deadly mistake but she relaxed when she heard him whisper: “We need to fill our Limits.“  
He gave her a kiss on the cheek and pushed her away. “Don‘t make this too easy for me.“  
"Asshole!“   
She attacked again with more earnest and precision, fists to his stomach, kicks to his face. And he blocked and dodged and sometimes attacked with his fists for her to dodge and counterattack.  
They had easily found a rhythm that showed how much on par they were. It really was almost like a dance. It also satisfied Tifa to see Rude not holding back on her.   
Tifa managed to throw him once and he managed to kick her feet out from under her. Both got kicked in the stomach and both landed fists on each other's face. It hurt physically and emotionally. But it had to be done if they really wanted to reach their Limit Break.  
**"Ladies and Gentlemen, what you see down there is art! This is everything I had hoped for!“** Shelly sounded almost dreamy and the audience had gotten calmer while watching them but still showed excitement and always started to encourage, cheer or boo them when one seemed to get the upper hand.

**"Seeing two masters of martial arts fight each other to the death with that precision and grace. Tifa Lockhart and Rude second name unknown... Well, Turks are really good at keeping secrets.“**

For a split second it was dead silent. Tifa and Rude locked eyes, stopping in their fight and the room erupted in screams and shouts.   
Seconds later the wild cacophony turned into a chant: "KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL!…“  
"How is your limit?“ Rude stepped up to her.   
"Almost but not there!“   
"Let‘s hope plan B is working out then.“  
"What is plan B?“  
"Explosives. Roll yourself into a ball when falling.“  
"Oh no…“  
Tifa could hear the high pitch of the electricity that was supposed to kill them. She was afraid. Very afraid. She locked eyes with Rude who nodded.   
Around them the world exploded and Tifa rolled herself into a ball. 

After the fall she picked herself up, hurtig where she had been hit by stones. Yepp, falling down with debris still wasn’t fun. It was impressive though, the floor was almost completely intact. Tifa coughed because of the dust and threw off some rubble. She heard Rude cough too.  
"Rude?!“  
"Over here.“  
She stumbled towards the source, finding him standing and patting away more dust, scraps on his arms but otherwise fine. She felt a mix of worry, relief, frustration and laughter bubbling up in her. So when she stood in front of him she slapped him. He sure looked as shocked as she felt and that did not change when she grabbed his face to pull him down into a kiss. His reaction was to freeze still, to then lay his hands on her back to pull her closer, returning the kiss and then finally stare at her when she let him go again.  
“Sorry,” she stared back with wide eyes. “But you deserved that!” She scolded and stepped back, feeling irritated about her own behavior.   
“The slap or the kiss?”  
“Both?”  
**“They are in the tunnels! Get them!” **

The announcement tore them from their confusion. Right now there were more urgent matters to attend to. Rude gestured to Tifa to hurry along the tunnel that opened up before them: “We need to find a way up and out.”   
Behind them a couple of people jumped down the hole the explosion had caused, holding up guns.   
“STOP!“ 

As if. They both started to sprint, Tifa could hear a couple of shots being fired but the light was dim and they were running very fast. The bullets hit the walls somewhere behind them, followed by footsteps. They continued to flee until the tunnel made a 90 degree bend and Rude stopped, his back to the wall. Tifa did the same and positioned herself beside him, trying her hardest to silence her breathing.  
He held up three fingers. She nodded.  
Seconds later their pursuer appeared and Rude grabbed the weapon of the nearest and punched him, while Tifa kicked another one in the chest, sending him flying. The third one was too shocked to react. With a lot of practice Rude then used the obtained gun. Three shots and their pursuers were all dead.   
Tifa blinked, fell to her knees and then threw up. Since there wasn’t much in her stomach all that came up was acid and spit. Immediately Rude was beside her, holding her kneeling figure.   
“Tifa!”   
“I’m sorry…,” she shook her head, using the back of her hand to swipe her mouth, wishing for water. Her throat felt too dry. “I mean… I know… the killing part… but…, “ she turned to look him in the eyes. “... I just would have preferred to not see you do it.”  
“I’m sorry,” he kissed her temple and then pulled her up with him. “We need to get moving.” 

Suddenly the whole building started to shake after a loud blow and Tifa felt herself being pulled into a tight hug, hearing dust rippling around them.   
“What was that?!”   
“Reno. Come on,” they started to run again, searching for stairs. But the few doors they opened revealed boiler and storage rooms. At least it did not seem like anyone else followed them.

Then, after a loud crack the speaker system came back to life: **“Attention! Everyone in this building is under arrest, yo! Except you‘re a ShinRa or 7th Heaven employee. Hey Rude, Tifa! Elena and the Rookies are safe. Also Rude, Tifa promised me that your first son will be named Reno Junior! Just that you know!“**  
Still jogging along one of the tunnels, Rude frowned: “Seriously?“  
Tifa groaned: “It was a joke! I also told him we… well my mysterious boyfriend and I would marry next month and move to the countryside.“  
“Nothing planned for next month.“  
Tifa laughed, huffing and out of breath.   
“Can we first have a normal date, please? I know basically nothing about you.“  
“Of course.”  
“You promised me breakfast! I haven‘t forgotten that! Hey, I think there is another door over there!“

They moved towards it but before Tifa could reach for the handle Rude dragged her back and behind him. The door opened and revealed five mobsters, spilling into the corridor, pointing weapons at and surrounding them.  
Both, Tifa and Rude, raised their hands.  
"Put the weapon to the ground!“ one of them shouted and Rude did as told.  
Finally Shelly stepped in, also aiming a pistol. Not without satisfaction Tifa saw not only the wound on Shellys forehead but also what seemed like a broken nose, her jacket was ripped and her blouse was bloody. Tifa had to congratulate Elena later.  
“You two are working so well together it‘s disgusting,“ Shelly spit on the floor, blood mixing in. “But I‘m glad I met you before I take my leave. So I can at least try once more to recruit you, Tifa. I know I won’t convince the Turk. So, come with me!“  
Tifa shared a quick glance with Rude who gave nothing away so Tifa shrugged. Shelly rolled her eyes, looking even more angry than before. Tifa ignored it and instead decided to stall until reinforcements arrived.   
“Thanks for the offer but I think our values are differing too much. For example, I prefer to not let people fight to death while others watch…,“ but before she could continue, Shelly interrupted her with a lot of venom in her voice. “It‘s hilarious how righteous you are. You‘re a murderer just like everyone else here. Just because it seemed like you did it in self-defense or for the greater good doesn‘t mean that makes it better. If you would only understand and see your potential you could become so much more,“ in the end she sounded almost pleading.   
“More than what?“   
“More than a little bar owner who struggles to reach meets end, mother to two kids who aren‘t yours while their adoptive fathers travel the world and live! Look at you! You‘re not living, you're just existing! When was the last time you had real fun? What about YOUR dreams?! If you work with me, you could become so much more! Free of everything holding you back! Especially if you just understood that men are only supposed to be used for your own amusement and gain. You should only accept the strongest women as you equal. You’re a hero! Together we could finally defeat ShinRa! Don’t you want that? Join me, Tifa! Please!”  
None of this made sense to Tifa: ‚What kind of worldview was that? What was going on?‘ But Shelly was still monologuing which was a cliché but helped them right now. Tifa shook her head. “I don’t think so,” her voice was cold. “I love my family and I kind of dislike to use people for my own gain.”   
“Oh, Tifa, Tifa Tifa. Sweety. Of course you don’t like to use people. Instead you wait to be used. That is part of the problem. I mean look at your last date. It was just work! And you didn‘t even got anything out of it. I know you didn‘t sleep with him. It does not fit your personality. You would never sleep with a guy after only two weeks. Honestly, it is a pity that he has to die. I‘m sure you could have had a lot of fun with him too he is a really good fuck after all. You‘ll miss out.“  
All blood drained from Tifa's face. No. No! Oh Goddess, please NO! She did not dare to look up at the man beside her. That was too much right now. The smile on Shellys face was cold and mocking and Tifa felt her anger spill over. A small voice begged her to calm down to not do something stupid that there was a logical explaination but she shoved it away. Two glasses for drinking wine and all those good looking women…In a calmer moment she might have shrugged it off, rationalized it but now it was too much! She would punch Shellys ugly teeth out!

She jumped into action, swatting the hand holding the gun away and planted her right fist in the bitches face, followed by a kick with the knee to her stomach, seeing her fall to the floor like a sack of potatoes, groaning.  
The goons had been too surprised to react immediately so Tifa continued with a roundhouse kick, disarming two more and then punching them down, while Rude took care of the other three.   
When finally all enemies lay on the floor she turned to Rude, her whole being nothing but rage.  
“Tifa, that was dangerous!“   
“Did you sleep with her?!“  
He stopped in whatever he had wanted to say and stared at her for a few seconds.  
“I did.“  
For a short moment she had hoped for a ruse but of course… it was just a universal fact that she couldn’t have anything nice just for herself. No fun, no love, no luck. She felt the rage turn cold, but didn’t even feel sad. Just nothing. Because there was no sense in being sad and there was no time for teen bullshit, she couldn‘t deal with that right now. She turned her back to him: “Let‘s go.”  
“Ti…,“ before he could answer a shot rang through the hall. Tifa flinched and closed her eyes, the loud sound causing her ears to ring but she felt no pain. She wasn‘t shot?  
After the echo had died down she looked up to see Shelly sitting up and smiling through the blood streaming from her nose and mouth: “No happy end for you, bitch.“  
She put her gun in her pocket, stood up and turned to lump away. Tifa probably should have followed and restrained her but instead she turned around to see that Rude had been shot in the stomach, a new dark stain slowly forming on his white shirt. His expression looked like mild surprise: “Hm.“  
He staggered towards the wall.  
“Rude!“  
In a flash she was beside him, helping him to sit down.   
“Rude! You… I…,“  
He laughed: “That hurts.“  
“Stop laughing! Tell me what to do!“  
She should know this. Vincent had told her but that had been years ago. And she couldn‘t think right now.  
“Is my back bleeding?“   
Checking for an exit wound. Right.  
“Nothing. Is that good?“  
“Being shot is never good. Add pressure.“  
She wanted to laugh out of pure misery but then focused and lifted his shirt up, revealing the wound. She looked around for something to use as a barrier for the blood. Without thinking further she took off her T-Shirt to fold it and to press it on the opening, with force. Rude hissed. They stayed silent for a short moment, Tifa pressing on the wound hoping that someone would arrive to help before one of the mobsters woke up or Rude bled out, because there was still a lot of blood spilling through the shirt. She was biting her lip raw in her worries.   
“I was faithful while we dated.“  
Tifa looked up, seeing his eyes half lidded and a frown on his face.  
“Rude… It‘s okay… “  
“You‘re so beautiful,“ his eyes closed and Tifa felt panic rise.  
“Don‘t you dare die on me! Rude! Wake up!“ He actually opened his eyes to stare at her.   
“So beautiful. I love you,“ he tried to raise his hand to touch her face. Tifa finally started to laugh then and leaned down so his fingertips brushed her cheek.   
“No! You don‘t get out of this with only saying ‘I love you’ while I dream or you are dying!“   
“Dream?” His hand dropped again.  
“I guess I dreamt it. It felt so real.“  
"It did…“  
For a second Tifa closed her eyes because her heart started to hurt. No wonder all of it had felt so real. It had probably been a Lifestream thing after all. Until then she only had those "shared dreams“ with Cloud but considering they had been in the actual Lifestream together that hadn’t surprised her. Never would she have thought it was possible with other people. She heard movement and a groan behind her. If one of the goons woke up they would be screwed. And it seemed like Rude had also heard it.  
"Tif…“  
"No. I‘ll stay. Tell me… uh… what kind of breakfast are you going to make?“  
"Hm?“  
"Breakfast. The one you’ll make me! Come on!“  
The movement behind her became more obvious now. Someone was sitting up and cursing.   
"Tifa,“ Rudes voice got harder for a moment. "A gun…“  
She shook her head, she could not stop to apply pressure. She kept her eyes fixed on Rudes.   
"Hey, what the fuck?!“ the goon behind them stood up probably disoriented but it was only a matter of time. She could hear him pick up a weapon.   
"Stand up, bitch! Where is Shelly?!“  
All right this was it. She would die and Rude would die but at least the Mafia had been struck hard so they would leave the world a better place. Her heart hammered like crazy but otherwise she felt strangely calm, clear and focused. She had looked death in the eye so often it was an old acquaintance by now. Maybe this death wasn‘t ideal but Shelly had been wrong. The last time Tifa had real fun was this past two weeks.   
Ignoring the shouting man behind her, she leaned forward so her forehead touched Rudes: “I love you too,“ she smiled at him.   
She could see his eyes widen and suddenly the world erupted once more into noise and heat. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I did some research on gun wounds. Kudos to all the authors who google the worst stuff just for their research. I only did the minimum.  
Also tropes that I really enjoy:  
\- slap & kiss  
\- don’t you dare die on me  
\- annoying friends  
\- figuring out feelings last second  
\- last second saves  
\- last second everything
> 
> Things that I do in this fic and probably everyone hates:  
\- WTF IS THE ANTAGONISTS INTENTION? WHAT IS GOING ON? WHAT?!  
\- There is a difference between relationships & sex as a tool
> 
> Haha... sorry. Also sorry for mistakes. I‘m sure I overlooked many in this fic. I‘ll stop for now.


	26. Almost over

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 40 - Saturday

Tifa was trying to shield Rude with her own body, while once more debris flew all around them. She wasn’t sure if this was better than just finally dying.   
“All right, swarm out. We need to find Rude and Tifa and that bitch… what was her name?”  
“Shelly.”  
“Shelly, yo.”   
No, this was better.   
Tifa sighed in relief before she started to shout: "Reno! Hurry!“ She had never been so glad to see the redhead.   
"Tif?! Aw, fuck! I can‘t leave you five minutes without you getting shot, partner!“ Immediately he was beside them, carefully moving Tifa’s hands from the damp T-Shirt, to have a look at the wound.   
“Hey, Reno.” Rude breathed, eyes almost closed. To have something to hold on Tifa took Rudes hand in hers.   
“Long time no see, Rude. Elena! Rookie with the Cure materia! Come here!”  
They both appeared beside them.   
“Elena, Tifa needs to get checked. Then search for the bitch. Rude, is the bullet still in you? We have talked about this, yo! We don’t do that anymore. It gives a bad example.”   
Elena squatted down beside Tifa, carefully detaching her hands from Rudes and pulling her up with her and slowly leading her away. It took Tifa a couple of moments to realise what was happening.   
“No! Wait!” She tried to return, but couldn’t really see Rude as Reno and two Rookies sat around him.   
“Tifa!” Elena stepped in her line of vision, holding her by her arms. “They’ll take care of Rude. Where is Shelly?”   
“I don’t know!” She tried to step around Elena,   
“Tifa! Try to concentrate! Did you see Shelly!? Where did she go!?” The blond's voice had taken a sharp edge, dragging Tifa back to function.   
“She… she went that way,” she pointed in the direction in which Shelly had hobbled away.   
“All right. I’ll go and get her,” Elena waved to some Rookies who appeared beside her. A boy and a girl, they looked oddly familiar. “These are John and Jane. They’ll take care of you, okay?”  
Tifa nodded, while Elena took off her suit jacket and draped it around Tifa, who was still in her sports bra. “We’ll talk later, okay?”   
Again Tifa nodded.   
Elena left and shouted at some other Turks, ordering a jacket for herself and grabbing a weapon to finally follow Shelly.   
“Miss Lockhart?” a soft voice caused her to look at the owner. The girl from before. “Please come with us, we’ll bring you to a doctor,” Jane said smiling at her softly.   
For a last time she looked over at where Rude was lying.   
He would be fine. Tifa tightened the jacket around herself.   
“Let’s go.” 

Jane and John led her away and together they walked through corridors, past many people, some dead, some starting to collect evidence, some seemingly under shock, until they finally got out of a building that might have been a jail once. It was still dark outside but the whole place was lit brightly with spotlights. They continued their way right into a tent, in which a doctor asked her to remove the jacket. Tifa did as told. She could do that. She would just continue to function and do what she needed to do. Yep.   
The doctor found no severe injuries, gave her water to drink and a potion and sent her away. That was fine. Tifa had seen a lot of the injured who had looked way worse. They needed the medical care more than her so she was not angry when she was so dismissed so easily. She just wanted to get home anyway. 

Two hours later Tifa was finally dropped off at 7th Heaven. Before she had left, Elena had not talked to her. The Turk had been still away, trying to catch Shelly. Reno hadn’t talked to her either because when she left he was overlooking that Rude was moved to the ShinRa headquarters to receive further attention. And then Reno had to take care that the rest of the building was swept and every leftover mob-member was arrested.   
Tseng did not talk to her too because he was occupied with ordering his Turks and other ShinRa employees outside, communicating with officials and headquarters. She had walked by him and he had acknowledged her with a nod. That had been everything.   
She was kinda glad to be away from John and Jane, who had been the lovey-dovey couple in the booth, when Reno had made his first reappearance in her bar. That was where she knew them from. They were nice but their adoration for her was distracting and exhausting. It had become apparent that they saw her and her friends as heros. Times really changed.   
  
It was still early on Saturday. She had been kidnapped three days ago. Over two weeks ago Elena had moved into her apartment. Two weeks ago Cloud, Marlene and Denzel had gone on their trip. Almost three weeks ago this whole mess had started. 

Tifa walked through a small alley to the back of her house, thankful for the shoes they had given her, to get the key to the bar that was hidden there in case she lost her own. She would need to get another copy.   
Tired to her bones, she finally stepped in and looked around. It was so silent. She was alone. She bit her lip and dragged herself upstairs and into the bathroom, staring at the mirror for a moment.   
She looked like shit. How could anyone see her like this and think she is beautiful? She shook her head. That didn’t matter right now. Thoughts and emotions did not matter because all she had to do was function.   
She slipped out of the jacket, jeans and her underwear. She would need to clean it before the kids came home later. There was no need for them to see the bloody clothes. She stepped into the shower and let the dirty garments fall to her feet. Finally she let hot water pour down on her to wash away the dirt, dust and blood from her body. Everything hurt but the water helped. For now the tiredness kept her from thinking too much and she was thankful for that.   
Methodically she used soap to clean her whole body and hair further. When she was finally satisfied she stepped out of the shower, grabbed the drenched clothes and wrung them, seeing light red coloured water going down the drain, then hung them over the side of the shower bar. She then dried herself off and dragged her tired body into the girls-room, finally falling into her bed. A last glance to the clock showed her that she should be able to get at least one or two hours of sleep before she had to prepare for her friends to arrive. With a last effort she set her alarm. Okay maybe three hours. Just enough to function for the rest of the day.   
She rolled into her blanket and was out.

“Tifa?! We’re home?” That was Cloud's voice.   
“Tiiiiifaaaaa!” - Marlene  
Immediately Tifa deactivated the stove and almost ran out: “Marlene! Denzel!”  
Marlene raced towards her, jumping into her arms. Tifa had to be careful not to crush her in her own excitement or to wince when the girls legs produced a vice-like grip around her blue ribs. Denzel followed slower, a little bit awkward but Tifa had none of that. She kneeled down and pulled him into the hug and he returned it. “I missed you two so much! I’m glad you’re back and okay. Cloud, come here!”   
He also knelt down and hugged the kids and Tifa. Just for a minute Tifa closed her eyes and let herself believe everything was fine and normal.   
“Okay,” she finally moved back. “Where is the rest? I made dinner for at least nine people.”  
“They will be here soon,” Cloud stood up and looked down at her rather relieved. “Cid, Shera and Nanaki are moving The Shera. Yuffie took the car we rented and is going to get them.   
“Hey Tifa, do I get a frigging hug too or what?”   
Only now did Tifa realize that Barret was there too. She laughed, released her kids and moved to him to be pulled in another crushing hug, ignoring the ache.   
“Good to see you’re up and kicking.”  
“I want in that too!” Marlene latched on to Tifa again.   
“I’m tough. Don’t ever forget that,” Tifa lightly hit Barret on his chest with laughter in her voice and pettet over Marlene’s hair with her other hand “Okay, Marlene, Denzel, bring your things upstairs and then you’ll both take a shower. Get that street-dust off of you. Cloud, Barret, meanwhile you two push some tables together and set them for everyone. Then you can take a shower too.”   
“Oh, come on! We just arrived! Give us some time to breath!” Of course Barret would moan about the work and of course Cloud just laughed and started.   
“No, Tifa! I want to tell you everything!” Marlene whined, still hugging Tifa’s hip.   
“Come on Marlene, just do as I told you. You’ll be rewarded with delicious food,” again Tifa laughed and winked at her.   
“Yay! We ate so much different food but nothing compared to your cooking!”  
Tifa chuckled and watched the kids walk upstairs with their backpacks.  
“I’m back in the kitchen, taking care of the food. I have bought juice and other drinks, they are in the refrigerator under the bar. Suit yourself.”  
“What about opening the bar?” Cloud sounded confused.   
Again Tifa laughed: “Closed shop because of a private party. I prepared a sign, please hang it outside!” She had figured that having the bar closed one more evening did not matter.  
She waved at the two men and vanished in her kitchen again, taking a deep breath. She felt happy. Also sad and very tired but mostly happy. She started her stove again. 

Later that evening, when everyone was finally in 7th Heaven and even Vincent and Reeve had managed to come by, they sat together around the table, laughing and telling stories about their travels. Tifa was thrilled about the stories of Denzel fighting Monsters, excited when Marlene told her that she wanted to become a rocket-scientist (Shera and Cid had promised the girl that she could come visit while her next school break) and laughed when Yuffie told the story about how Cloud, Denzel and her had to run from a farmer whose apple they had stolen by mistake to then later returned and pay for them.   
Even later, when she had tucked the kids into bed, giving them kisses to their foreheads, the grown ups retold stories of their adventure, remembering the old times and drinking to friends not with them. It was good to have them all together.   
Tifa was still happy, ignoring the nagging worry, drowning it with alcohol. That was until a calm minute while Tifa was getting another round of drinks and Cloud asked her in a whisper what had happened and how she felt. The glance she gave him must have told him enough to pull her into another hug, allowing herself a moment of weakness.  
“I’m okay. But Rude got shot and I have no idea how he is doing,” she whispered into his chest. He hummed a bit before he answered in an attempt to lighten the mood: “So, is he a good cook?”   
Tifa shook her head with a smile: “I don’t know yet. But I do love him.”  
With another hum Cloud stroked her back in a calming manner: “I’m sure he is fine or they would have already told you.”  
Finally Tifa stepped back again, steeling herself to nod at him. He smiled at her blue mako-eyes shining bright: “I’m kind of glad for you but sorry that you are suffering.”  
Again she smiled, her gaze falling to the floor. Yep, that pretty much summarized it. She fell in love and suffered for it. It was always the same. She huffed, pushed the tray with glasses into Clouds hands and smiled up at him: “Bring that to our friends.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really want Tifa and Cloud to be supportive friends. Because friendship is beautiful!
> 
> Hey, theoretically it's one more chapter to go but I consider to write another one, an epilog that gives some insight in the things that happened beside Tifas perspective...  
I know this may sound sarcastic but I'm really surprised by a total of 10 kudos and the 10+ hits I get with every new chapter. Because they are not all from me! It means that people are actually reading and that is great.  
And since I don't think it's 10 new people every day (because I hope those would leave kudos) it have to be the same ones.  
So I really think it would be just fair to explain a few things in another chapter but I have to write it in two days. But more about that tomorrow.  
Anyway, thank you people a lot! It's kind of mind blowing.


	27. Thank you for your assistance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 46 - Friday

It had been a week since Tifa had welcomed her friends into her home. They had all left again except Yuffie who wanted to stay for an obscure amount of time to help at the bar and to venture through Edge. One week since the whole mess ended. One week since she had last seen the Turks.   
With the exception of the Rookies John and Jane, who had dropped by to tell her that Rude was fine, tell her that they were still searching for Shelly, gave her the things she had carried when she had been abducted, taking Elena’s pack and then hurried off again.   
That was one worry off her chest, adding others. Neither her phone nor keys were found. She would need to get her locks replaced and a new phone. Daily business had started too. Which was good because then there wasn‘t much time to think except late at night, while she lay awake and listened to Marlene breathing. She needed to find a new gym to work out at. 

Now, one week later, while Denzel did his homework and Marlene drew a picture of one of the things she had seen, Cloud sitting at the bar trying to do paperwork and Tifa preparing for the evening, both Reno and Rude walked in, ignoring the closed sign.

"Come on, Rude! Tell me what happened!“  
"Read the report. Hello,“ Rude halted for a second nodding towards everyone, his eyes lingering just a second longer on Tifa and then continued to the bar.  
"Yeah, hey everyone,“ Reno just waved around, but basically ignoring if anyone reacted. "There is never anything interesting in your reports. It‘s only always facts, yo. I want the saucy details about you-know-what,“ Reno elbowed the taller man in the side who seemed almost uncomfortable. ‚No wonder,‘ Tifa thought. ‚Having Reno pester me about this would have driven me crazy.‘  
Now, with Rude standing right in front of Tifa, obviously looking at her, she felt her heart rate speed up. So, that was still a thing. She had wondered, feeling almost nothing but worry, that last week. They shared an awkward smile and she kind of regretted the fact that they were not alone. Marlene and Denzel stood up from their table and walked to the bar, standing beside Cloud to have a better look about what was going on. The former Soldier kept a close eye on the two Turks but didn‘t seemed alarmed. Of course Tifa had told him (and Yuffie) - almost - everything.   
"Seriously Rude, I‘m going to ask Tif. I‘m sure she will tell me.“  
"No, she won‘t. Tifa, the president will visit.“  
Again she let her eyes drift to Rude, giving him a nod that she had understood. Very well, little Shinra was visiting her. She didn’t like the idea but she would adapt.   
"Marlene, Denzel, please clean up your stuff and move it upstairs. A business associate is visiting for a meeting,“ her voice sounded light and relaxed, so the kids nodded but still looked a bit wary. Cloud also started to collect his papers.   
Reno turned over to Cloud watching him work: "Seriously, Strife. There are people to help with this kind of stuff. Looks complicated, yo.“   
Cloud's answer was an annoyed look, before he grabbed his papers and walked over to the children to see if he could help them.  
"Oh wow. I have a complaint about the complaints manager!“  
Tifa saw Cloud perk up and furrow his brows, shaking his head in a questioning way. She shrugged as an answer. She had forgotten about that. 

The Turks sat down at the bar, three places apart from each other. Tifa started to prepare drinks. She knew what three of them liked with Tseng she would need to guess. Elena had probably told her once what Tseng liked…  
“White wine spritzer.”   
Tifa turned to smirk at Rude who slightly nodded in return. She then turned to place a beer in front of him.   
“I already start to regret that I support you two, yo!” Reno had observed the little interaction.  
Without a comment Tifa placed a glass with his usual scotch in front of him.   
“Tifa, I bring the kids upstairs but I’ll be back then,” Cloud ushered Marlene and Denzel through the door.   
“No! I want to see what is going on!”  
“No, Marlene.”  
“Boo!”   
Denzel just gave the Turks a stink eye before he walked through the door.   
“Nice kids,” Reno sounded kind of unimpressed. “They were smaller once, right?”   
“Reno, children grow,” Tifa shook her head and turned to Rude. Sunglasses and earrings back in place, suit on. She was sure she could see the beginning of his goatee again. He was back. “Good to see you. How are you?”   
“Better,” again he nodded, not giving away anything, but a light strain that she could interpret as the beginning of a smile. It caused Tifa to smile too.   
“You two are so weird to watch. Seriously if I had known that I would have acted differently, yo.”   
Both turned to Reno. That moment Cloud returned and also furrowed his brows, seeing the scene of Tifa leaning towards Rude who looked neutral as ever while Reno seemed kind of scared, his eyes switching from one to the other. Finally Cloud shrugged and shook his head and Tifa started to laugh.   
“When will Rufus make his appearance? We don’t have the whole day,” Cloud turned to Reno.   
“First of all, he comes to see your better half,” Cloud's eyebrows rose at that comment and Tifa rolled her eyes. “Second, he will be here in… Rude?”   
The taller Turk glanced up at the clock behind the bar.   
“Now.” 

As if summoned, a bunch of Rookie Turks came in, then followed by both Elena, Tseng and Rufus Shinra in his usual white suit.   
The three took seats at the bar, from left to right, Reno, Elena, Rufus, Tseng, Rude. Tifa tried not to start laughing at the display of tried intimidation but instead put a glass of Elena's favorite wine in front of her and a glass of white-wine-spritz in front of Tseng. He only looked irritated for a second and glanced over to Rude who took a sip of his beer.   
Tifa nodded to Cloud and then towards the taproom, the former Soldier nodded back and started to fill glasses with water to then offer them to the rookies. No one should say that Tifa was a bad host. Then she stood in front of Rufus, casually leaning on the counter of her bar.   
“Rufus, welcome to the 7th Heaven. What can I bring you?”   
A couple of young Turks gasped at this display of disrespect. The barmaid talked with the president on a first name basis. But Tifa could also see Reno openly smirk, Elena biting her lip, Tseng not stopping to carefully watch her and Rude not reacting at all. Rufus narrowed his eyes to glare at her. Tifa returned the look with a polite smile.  
"Do you think you have something not cheap in your bar, Miss Lockhart?“  
Arrogant prick! Tifa felt herself become angry but ignored it. If he wanted a battle of control and strength he could have that. This was her turf after all. So instead of berating him she cocked her head a bit: "Please call me Tifa, Rufus. We are old acquaintances, after all.” Her smile became just a bit brighter. “And just for you a small Pro-Tip: Don‘t be a dick to the people who prepare your food and drink.“ Tifa glanced at the President, while shifting her stand. His eye twitched a bit but he did not answer so she continued. "Nothing here is cheap. Some things are more affordable than others. I’d suggest a "Seventh Heaven Brew“. It’s our house beer. If you like something harder try the self-distilled whiskey. If you dare, that is. We don‘t want to shock your refined taste buds with something too delicious.“  
She wanted to see the reactions of their audience but right now she needed to concentrate on the blond man in front of her, still answering the glare with a smile.  
“I’ll take the whisky.”   
“Good choice,” Tifa turned to grab the bottle and fished for two glasses, and poured the drinks. One she put in front of Rufus.   
The other she kept and saluted to him: “Cheers!” And took a sip. She really liked this one but it was something special so she rarely drank it herself. She even smacked her lips lightly.   
Rufus nodded and returned the salut before he also took a sip, keeping it a bit in his mouth before swallowing and putting the glass down. He didn’t show any reaction which Tifa filed as another score for her. If it weren’t to his taste, he would have said as much. 

“So, what do I owe this visit?” Tifa put the glass on the shelf behind her, using the movement to let her eyes travel through the room. Cloud was back at the end of the bar, the Rookies sat on various tables or stood along the wall. Tifa also noted that to Rufus right Reno and Elena both fought with their amusement while on the other side Tseng and Rude were like statues. At least from this distance.   
“I’m here to personally thank you for your assistance in the operation against organized crime. You did a service not only to ShinRa but the people of Edge,” Rufus had managed to put away his own anger and looked at Tifa with neutral but cold eyes while she herself felt her own cheeks burn up in rage. As nonchalantly as possible Tifa turned to grab her glass again.   
“I’m always willing to help the small people and citizens. As you might remember I used to fight a big corporation because of that,” she turned again to see the end of the snarl Rufus showed. Tifa hoped her own eyes transported how much she despised him: “But I think to call it assistance is a bit weak, no? If it weren’t for me you might still try to find out where the fight arena was and where the people were held hostage. You’d still search for the Mafias base of operation. And who knows how many more might have been killed while your people were still searching? I willingly put my life in danger alongside your Turks and it was my decision not to assist but to cooperate. So thank you very much for recognizing THAT.”   
With probably a lot more force than necessary she put the glass down again, this time in front of her, glaring at him.   
“You…!” he started.  
“I, what?!” Tifa, immediately interrupted and grabbed her glass a bit harder to prevent her hand from clenching.   
Rufus took a deep breath to calm down.   
“You deserve to have your service named correctly and you deserve adequate compensation,” again his face became neutral. Tifa wondered if Rufus had learned that from Tseng or Rude. Tseng fished an envelope out of the inside pocket of his jacket and presented it to Tifa.   
For a moment she hesitated, her eyes flicking from Tseng to Rufus and then to the envelope. It couldn’t hurt to have a look at what was inside, right? She took it and fished out the piece of paper waiting inside. She did her best to keep her face as neutral as possible but… HOLY FUCK.  
The sum on the check was… it was enough to renovate the house and the bar and then some to save up. Or she could ensure the best education for the kids, she could help Cloud to expand his delivery service, she could employ a waitress for her bar without much struggle for one or two years.   
This money would erase a big worry of hers. But…   
She put the check back into the envelope, took a deep breath and pushed it over the counter back to Rufus: “Use it to help the people who had been victims of the Mafia. Some lost their jobs, some lost their husbands or wives, some lost their mothers and fathers. Give them a future. I have everything I need.”   
“Really, everything?” His eyes were cautious.   
“Find Shelly and the others who were able to escape. Prevent that they will ever do evil again,” she kept eye contact.   
Rufus nodded, his face softer again.   
“And I sent you an invoice,” Tifa pointed to the plate that hid the crack, between Elena and Rufus himself. “Pay that. It was Renos' fault after all.”   
“It wasn’t my fault. You broke it, yo!”   
“Only because you’re an idiot!” Elena hissed.   
Tifa saw the strain in Rufus' face hearing this, actually closing his eyes to not lose composure again: “All right. I’ll see to it that it will be repaired.”   
Tifa shrugged as an answer: “That is fine too.”   
“Then we are done here,” Rufus stood up and downed the rest of his whiskey, even lightly nodding at the taste. “Tseng, please pay for the drinks.”   
“No need for that. This was on the house,” she pointed at the five drinks.   
Tseng had already reached in his inner pocket again and halted to look at Rufus, who shrugged, then turned and walked away, Tseng hard on his heels, causing all the Rookies to spring into action. The three remaining Turks also drowned their drinks. Reno followed with fast steps and shouted over his shoulder: “See ya soon, Tif! Rude! I owe you a drink. I can’t believe you predicted this!”  
Elena also followed waving and burping a bit: “Sorry. See you!” They reached Rufus while he stepped out of the door, Tseng waiting beside it. Before he also stepped out, he turned once more: “Rude, you have two minutes!”   
And suddenly the bar was empty again except for her, Rude and Cloud, who stepped discreetly into the kitchen.   
When she turned back to Rude who had stood up and taken off his glasses. All the butterflies that had seemed to be gone for the last week came back with so much force, that Tifa climbed on top of and over the bar and basically fell into Rudes arms into a crushing hug.   
She could feel his pulse against her face and her fingers and his hands on her back. He was really here and really alive. But they had no time. Way too soon he lowered her down so she could stand on the floor again and kissed her on her forehead: “Go on a date with me.” He stepped away a bit to be able to look her in the eyes, hands still lightly on her back.   
“With pleasure. What do you have in mind?”   
“There is another cafe that is open all night.”   
“So… casual clothes?”   
His mouth quirked a bit: “I’ll be here tonight. Wait for you to close the bar.”   
“I look forward to it,” she answered with her own broad smile.   
He glanced up to the clock once more.   
“I need to go. I knew you wouldn’t take the money.”  
She laughed: "I‘ll probably regret it. That was a lot of money.“ And then lifted herself up on her tiptoes to kiss him on the side of his mouth: “See you tonight.”   
“See you tonight,” he was smiling at her and with reluctance he stepped away, placed his sunglasses back on his face and finally turned to hurry out of the bar. 

As soon as he was out, Tifa turned back to her counter and hid her burning face in her hands. She might have squealed. Holy shit! She would go on a date! A real date! With Rude! She started to laugh, just feeling happy, letting her fingers glide through her hair.   
Cloud peeked inside the taproom: “Tifa?” Seeing his friend laugh and smile and alone, he walked in and rounded the bar to reach her.   
“What happened?” He smiled at her, getting infected by her good mood after she had been down the last week even though she had kept the mask and held herself up around the kids.   
“I’m going on a date after I close the bar! With Rude! A real date!” She still could not believe it.  
“That is great! Where will you go?”  
“A Cafe that is open all night. Oh shit, I have to decide for an outfit!”   
Cloud shook his head: “Yuffy will be back soon. I’m sure she is willing to help.”  
“Yes! Oh no, the kids! I’ll look after them!”   
“Calm down. I’ll go get them,” he laughed. 

She did calm down, sitting on one of her barstools, allowing her a short minute of calmness. And she actually dared to hope for a normal romance and a normal relationship. As normal as it could be between a Turk and a former terrorist. She smiled to herself about the image. Well, she was more than willing to try.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that is that...  
Honestly I hope it is still a satisfying ending for you people who read this story. If not, feel free to tell me to get moving and to finish the other four drafts that I have started and all depict situations after this story. ahahahahaha haa... 
> 
> On another note, I'm still debating if I add another chapter that gives a brief overlook of Rudes perspective. Preparing this chapter I have written 1300 (2400 now) new words.  
<s>So... maybe not tomorrow but maybe the day after? If I finish it, it will happen this month.</s> <s>30\. Nov. 2019: Scrap that. It will happen but in December. 4700 words so far.</s>
> 
> Once more, a big thanks to everyone who followed this story. I hope it was as much fun for you as for me. See ya around.
> 
> 05.05.2020  
So, again I hope you enjoyed this story. I'm happy to see now 19 Kudos and two people commenting and that is more than I would have ever thought!  
I'm still writing this story from Rudes perspective and I hope I'll update it one day. Thanks once more and stay healthy! (over 7k words)


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